Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) on Sunday quashed multiple reports suggesting that Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya will be provided extra security at Wankhede Stadium. The reports, additionally, suggested that the state board will take strict action against fans that boo Pandya and it could lead to their arrest.

Mumbai Indians, incidentally, will play their first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday where they will host Rajasthan Royals.

“There are rumours that MCA has instructed security against people who support Rohit or boo Hardik, while we know this is incorrect. This is baseless rumours, and no instructions like this has been given, We as MCA are following BCCI guidelines on crowd behaviour policy,” the MCA said in a statement.

Social media has been abuzz ever since Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians and handed over the captaincy role. The newly appointed captain has drawn a lot of flak from Rohit Sharma fans and was booed by the Gujarat Titans fans in Ahmedabad during his team’s IPL opener.

Mumbai Indians became one of the most successful franchises under the captaincy of Sharma. He led the franchise to five IPL triumphs. However, under Pandya, the Mumbai franchise have made a poor start as they lost their first-two matches in the IPL 2024.