Mumbai Indians has faced a lot of backlash from its fans for naming Hardik Pandya as the team's new captain in place of Rohit Sharma.

The talks surrounding the troika of MI-Hardik-Rohit have dominated the headlines in both mainstream and social media since Pandya's controversial switch from Gujarat Titans to his former team. Removing Rohit, the joint-most successful captain in IPL, didn't go down well with the MI fanbase, which was pinning their hopes on Rohit to guide the franchise to its sixth title. Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title, has been facing severe criticism from fans ever since the move was announced. The former GT captain cleared the air about the alleged rift with Rohit in Mumbai's pre-tournament press conference earlier this week by claiming that 'Rohit will have his hand on my shoulder throughout the tournament'. There's been a lot of anticipation around the reunion of Rohit and Hardik. Fans have been waiting with bated breath for the reaction of both players when they meet each other in the Mumbai Indians training camp. The moment finally came on Wednesday when Hardik greeted his former captain with a warm embrace during a training session in Mumbai. Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans in epic weekend clash There couldn't have been a better opening match for both sides. In what will be a dramatic clash on March 24, Sunday, Hardik Pandya will face his former side as MI open their campaign against last season's finalists at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be interesting to see how the GT fans welcome their former skipper, who has been called out for betraying the Titans. Hardik, in all probability, will get a hostile reception on the very ground, he was revered as a God for two seasons.