Mumbai Indians fast bowler Aakash Madhwal claimed that the team environment is excellent despite the fans” outburst due to the captaincy change ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. His statement comes after the five-time champions slumped to their third consecutive defeat in the lucrative tournament against Rajasthan Royals.

There are rumors that all is not well among Pandya and Rohit. However, Madhwal said that both the players are extremely supportive of the team along with senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah who is a part of the leadership group.

“The team environment is excellent. Both (Rohit and Hardik) are supportive, and I spoke to Hardik and Rohit in the practice match. (Jasprit) Bumrah bhai was also there. We should do better in the coming games,” Madhwal told Mumbai Indians” official website.

Madhwal was not included in the first two games for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024. Opining on the decision, he said: “The combinations for the first two games were good in their own right, as world-class bowlers constantly compete for a place in the team”.

Madhwal scalped 14 wickets in eight matches at an average of 15.64, with the best bowling figures of 5/5 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the eliminator match in his debut season.

Talking about the team chat during the strategic timeout, Madhwal said, “we discussed sticking to the plan and taking 2-3 wickets to gain the upper hand”

“The way the wicket was, we had to get the basics right. We had to bowl wicket-to-wicket. What we had planned, all of our bowlers followed it. We had planned to get the basics right and bowl wicket-to-wicket because the pitch also helped fast bowlers.”