Ambati Rayudu takes nasty dig at Mumbai Indians: 'Rohit Sharma will go to franchise which treats him better'

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Ambati Rayudu has sympathised with his former teammate Rohit Sharma, saying that the star opener would move to an IPL franchise which treats him better than five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI).

The comment from Ambati Rayudu comes amid massive backlash from fans over removal of Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain. Hardik Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and later named the captain in a shock move by the franchise.

Hardik Pandya has been booed by the fans at the stadiums across India in the ongoing IPL 2024. A few fans have also alleged that they were not allowed to enter Mumbai Indians home ground Wankhede Stadium with posters of Rohit Sharma, or face paintings of his name.

Talking to Star Sports, Ambati Rayudu, who was himself part of Mumbai Indians once, said that Rohit Sharma would be the one to decide if he wants to move away and join a new team in IPL 2025. He said that the 36-year-old India captain would be taken as the leader of the pack by any IPL franchise.

"It is Rohit's call at the end of the day. Wherever he would want to go, he will go. All the team will love to have him and have him as a captain. It's Rohit's call. I am sure he will go to franchise which treats him better than what has happened here," Ambati Rayudu said on Star Sports.

Mumbai Indians have endured a tough IPL 2024 campaign so far. They have lost three of their first four matches this season under new captain Hardik Pandya. They opened their account with a win over Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday. They will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 11.

Rohit Sharma is yet to play a big innings, but has scored 118 runs in four matches at an average of 29.50 and a strike rate of 171.01. He has also been seen helping Hardik Pandya actively on the field.