The Mumbai Indians will face off against the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL's T20 match #67 of 74, scheduled for tomorrow at 7:30 pm. Mumbai Indians is currently at the bottom of the IPL 2024 table with no chance for them to make it to the play-offs, will rely on players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya to dominate their season’s  final match. Lucknow Super Giants, standing 7th on the table will need exceptional performances from KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis to secure a victory. The teams will gather at the Wankhede Stadium for this exciting matchup.

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Mumbai Indians have reportedly faced major issues internally owing to the relationship of captain Hardik Pandya with the squad

With just one game remaining, MI has no prospects of making it to the playoffs. As they prepare for their final IPL 2024 match on Friday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against the Lucknow Super Giants, their primary aim is to secure a position outside the lower half of the points standings. To achieve this, MI must secure a victory against LSG and rely on PBKS losing their concluding game. There is an underlying concern beyond the necessity of defeating LSG or relying on PBKS's defeat.

There are divisions in the MI locker room as a result of growing hostilities between current skipper Hardik Pandya and previous captain Rohit Sharma. Fans have already voiced strong opposition to the team's choice to reinstate Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans and name him captain at the beginning of the season, taking the place of Rohit, MI's most successful skipper with five IPL championships and also is the captain of the Indian Cricket Team in all formats of the cricket.

There is reportedly a big divide between Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma. Dainik Jagran reports that while the foreign players are rooting for Hardik Pandya, established Indian players in the Mumbai Indians camp are calling for Rohit Sharma to take back the captaincy and lead MI. Notably, MI's international recruits don't include many well-known people.

When assessing Hardik's leadership style, AB de Villiers, the former South Africa captain, emphasized a notable contrast. De Villiers highlighted that although Hardik's assertive and bold demeanor may resonate with less-experienced or younger players, it might not align well with more seasoned individuals such as Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav .

Despite these challenges, Hardik has maintained an amicable relationship with the foreign players of MI. During an earlier part of the season, Tim David even described Hardik as the cohesive force that binds the team together .

Hardik was the glue that held us together and gave us a chance to play with freedom at the back end," 

 “Hardik has been phenomenal in the way he has been playing for the team.”

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Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma have not practiced together much this IPL season, according to the report. It was stated that as soon as Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma noticed Hardik heading towards the nets on the eve of the match against KKR, they departed the practise area.

This season, there has been concern about both Hardik and Rohit's form. While Rohit's performance has significantly declined in the second part of the competition, Hardik is going through one of his worst bat seasons.

With the huge auctions slated for next year, major changes to the Mumbai Indians structure may result if the tense relationship between Hardik and Rohit does not improve.