u/Derian23

There is so much talk regarding whether Hardik will continue to play for us next year. And I genuinely feel that it would be a blunder for both parties if they part ways next year.

At this point, I just hope that the people close to Hardik can sit him down and explain to him that he doesn't need to be the captain of a team to become its most illustrious player. He could carve out a legacy like Sunil Narine did for KKR or Kohli did for RCB. Neither of these players led their team to an IPL victory. But they will forever be the most goated players of their team.

Hardik should also set aside his fantasy of being the captain extraordinare of MI. Instead, he should focus on giving his best and becoming the Narinesque legend that he is meant to become. God knows he has that potential.

Apparently Butler, Rabada, Siraj are merely "decent" players as opposed to international legends such as Arya, Prabhsimran, Chahal, Connolly, Stoinnis, and Jansen.

Gill's fans..sorry..PRans need to calm down. I have a strong feeling GT is going to win the title this year. And I have no doubt Gill will play a crucial role in that victory. But these kinds of PR stories do more damage than good.

Shreyas and Rohit have learnt this the hard way. Gill would do better to let his bat do the talking rather than engage in this battle of demented PRs.

I had no idea that turning on the availability badge costs connects. I only realised it this morning when I went to apply for the job and found I have zero connects left.

Anyway, I'm planning to buy more connects but I'd first like to turn off the availability badge. However, I can't seem to find it anywhere. Can anyone help me locate it? I use Upwork on an Android phone.

I have seen far too many posts/comments in the past few weeks regarding what may be best described as conspiracy by Rohit and his teammates to undermine Hardik's captaincy. Simon Doull's recent comments have only further added fuel to the fire. There seem to be quite a few people who think that MI's star players are not cooperating with Hardik because they are still pissed that Rohit was sacked from captaincy.

This theory is not only wildly far-fetched but also belief-beggaringly stupid. First of all, SKY and Tilak may be close friends of Rohit, but they have, until this year, given their very best under Hardik's captaincy. SKY was our highest scorer last year. Tilak was one of our only consistent performers during that ominous 2024 season. As for Bumrah, not only has he been one of our most consistent bowlers, he is also the one person Hardik likely shares a closer bond than with Rohit (given both grew up playing for Gujarat). None of these players, has until this season, shown any animosity towards Hardik. If anything, they were the ones who in the past three years have repeatedly tried to save MI's sinking ship.

Now let us come to Rohit. In 2024, he was our highest scorer. In 2025, he was our second highest scorer. Has he played to his potential? No. But Rohit has never been a reliable batter in IPL. The management knew this too when he was retained last year. This year, he started with a bang and scored okayish in the next two matches that he played for us. Nothing about his performance in the past three seasons suggests that he is deliberately underperforming to dent Hardik's image as a captain.

And yet, so many people seem convinced that Hardik is a poor, innocent victim of the "Alphas" of MI who are trying their best to get back at him for "snatching" captaincy from Rohit. Because apparently, that's how devoted they are to Rohit. Okay, let's assume this is not about Rohit at all. Maybe Bumrah isn't performing well because he is upset about not being made the captain of MI ahead of Hardik. But how come Bumrah does not nurse similar resentment towards the current captains of ICT? How come these "stars with big egoes" aren't getting in the way of Gill's captaincy?

Which brings us to an alternate possibility. Is it possible that these players' apparent lack of intent has less to do with their friend being sacked and more to do with the kind of atmosphere the new captain has created? Is it possible that they are simply not happy playing under the captaincy of Hardik? This won't be the first time a team has failed to perform to its potential due to the presence of a polarising leader. There have been many such precedents in cricket. And it won't be too surprising if some similar dynamic is unfolding in the MI dressing room. That would also explain why the overseas players aren't performing any better than their Indian counterparts even though they have no reason to nurse any grudge or resentment towards Hardik.

It is easy to hate Rohit. It is easy to blame it all on him. It is easy to imagine a clique of star players colluding against the new guy. After all, we grew up watching such mawkish enmities play out on the silver screen. But, if we take a moment to closely examine the way things have unfolded in MI over the past three years, it would become clear that Hardik is not some poor victim of a vast, sinister conspiracy. If anything, he may very well be the very architect of his own (and by extension MI's) misery.

I often marvel at the stark differences in educated, financially independent, middle-class urban men's and women's concerns. The men I know are concerned about not finding a match, or being cheated on, or having to pay alimony in case the marriage breaks down. The women I know are concerned about finding a stable job, getting equal pay, having decent colleagues, and making it through the day without being harassed, groped, r@ped and murdered.

The difference couldn't be starker. One party is complaining about not being granted the privilege of being loved. The other party is requesting merely the right to live with dignity, autonomy, and respect. One feels entitled to a partner. One is made to feel entitled for merely asking to live life without being trampled upon by others. One rants about not finding someone to grow old with. The other is begging for a chance to survive long enough to be old someday.

The tragedy is..a lot of men will read this and still think their issues are no less concerning than those faced by women. For them, I have only one thing to say. My brother, you are complaining about your shirt not being ironed every day. We are complaining about the boots crushing our windpipes. We are not the same. Neither are our concerns.

I recently came across a post on another sub where this guy was claiming that men are currently living in the midst of a "pandemic" of false rape accusations. I knew arguing with these guys was pointless so I offered them the same advice they offer women to avoid getting raped.

Turns out, they didn't like it. They were outraged at the idea of staying away from women. It seemed like such a grand sacrifice to them. Some of the responses were absolutely hilarious and shows the hypocrisy of the average man. I have blurred the usernames of the commentators except mine. Just take a look! It's tragically funny how obtuse some Indian men are.

This woman yesterday grabbed Abhishek Sharma's hand and pulled him towards her. Abhishek was visibly shaken by the incident. But not only did she not apologize, she stood there laughing. Later she posted the video on Instagram with the pinned comment "No Abhishek Sharma was hurt in the making of this reel." Many people (both men and women) pointed out that what she did was wrong. But she not only refused to accept her fault, she posted another video of the incident in an attempt to chase clout.

We often talk about the importance of addressing the mounting harrasment of women. But as a feminist, I believe that both men and women need to be protected from sexual harrasment. And that can only happen when we stop making a mockery of men's experiences of harassment. This kind of behaviour should not be swept under the rug. If this woman feels so comfortable doing this in public, who knows what she is doing in private? A person who doesn't respect the boundaries of a celebrity will not respect the boundaries of any other person. For all we know, she could be preying on her younger cousins or neighbor's sons. After all, as far as she herself admits, she listens to her heart rather than her mind or conscience. These kinds of people are a threat to larger society and we should not let these incidents slide. I urge you all to do whatever is necessary to report people like these who promote such predatory behaviour.