[Watch] Wankhede crowd chants 'Hardik…Hardik..' ahead of Indian Cricket Team's felicitation

During IPL 2024, Wankhede crowd had booed Hardik Pandya.

The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was in a different mood when many fans chanted loudly “Hardik…” ahead of the Indian Cricket Team’s felicitation ceremony after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

This unexpected gesture of support comes after a recent dip in Hardik Pandya’s popularity with the Mumbai Indians (MI) home crowd during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he faced heavy backlash at the very same stadium.

The Rohit Sharma-led side defeated South Africa in the grand finale of the T20 World Cup 2024 by seven runs in Barbados on June 29. However, the Men in Blue were struck there due to Hurricane Beryl for the past three days. 

The BCCI secretary Jay Shah then arranged a chartered flight for the Indian team along with the support staff, their families and media. The chartered flight finally reached New Delhi around 6 AM on July 4.

After reaching New Delhi, the Indian squad met Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi at his residence. After meeting PM, the Men in Blue then departed for Mumbai.

In Mumbai, the T20 World Cup 2024-winning players will have an open-top bus ride from Marine Drive to the iconic Wankhede Stadium to celebrate with the fans. After the end of the open-top bus ride, a felicitation ceremony will be held at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Wankhede Stadium chants ‘Hardik Hardik’ ahead of team’s India felicitation ceremony

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, all-rounder Hardik Pandya was traded from the Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians in an all-cash trade deal between the two franchises. However, this trade deal became the biggest controversy when Hardik replaced Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai franchise for the whole 2024 edition.

Hardik faced heavy trolling and criticism during the whole IPL 2024 edition. During Mumbai’s home matches, the Indian vice-captain was booed heavily and faced backlash from the Mumbai crowd.

However, things changed after a few months, when Wankhede Stadium chanted ‘Hardik Hardik’ ahead of the team’s India felicitation ceremony on July 4. It is to be noted that Hardik was one of the most important players during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which helped India reach ultimate glory.

During the T20 World Cup 2024, Hardik delivered with both bat and ball. In the grand finale, the Indian vice-captain picked up a three-wicket haul and also defended 16 runs in the 20th over of South Africa innings, which helped the Men in Blue clinch the title.

Here is the video:

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