"Aaj Mumbai ka match hain kya (Is there a Mumbai Indians match today?)," asked the cab driver as he approached Marine Drive. "Is baar toh gaya Mumbai. Hardik Pandya koi captain nahi hain (Mumbai will lose this time... Hardik's no captain)," he argued.

This has been the common refrain across the city which got reflected in the spectators' constant jeering of Hardik in all of their four home matches before Friday. It also coincided with Hardik's dip in form as he struggled to keep up with the pressures of leading a high-profile franchise following a dramatic reunion.

They failed to excel as a unit as a consequence, though there were individual performers like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Romario Shepherd.

Mumbai Indians are virtually out of the playoffs reckoning though their matches still continue to generate interest amid their huge following.

The booing was lesser in comparison on Friday when Hardik jogged around the turf during his warm-up session. The fact that they played at their home after a four-match break also helped ease the mood.

The decline in performance led to various stories floating around. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke, who is commentating in IPL 2024, spoke about "different groups" within the team.

"I think there's a lot more going on than what we are seeing on the outside and you can't have that many good players and perform this inconsistently. So, I think there are different groups inside that changing room and... they are not gelling together..." Clarke said.

This conspiracy theory has been floated in several quarters but those in the know dismiss it as "utter rubbish". Former Mumbai cricketers The Telegraph spoke to blamed it on "social media nuisance" and also a fallout of the film culture.

Ravichandran Ashwin said as much on his YouTube channel. "Neither the franchise nor the player has a role to play in this. I think the responsibility and the onus lies on the fans,” Ashwin said. “This is a cinema culture... Fan wars should never go in this ugly a route."

But it is the manner of Rohit's removal from the hot seat which has led to the bad vibes. "They should have waited for another year. The loyal young fans have grown up seeing Rohit as their leader. Suddenly Hardik is put in charge without taking the senior group into confidence," said a former Mumbai international.

The Mumbai Indians management has maintained a stoic silence amid all this drama and fan wars. They are playing the patience card.

May be when the mega auction takes place next year we will have a fair idea of which way the dice rolls.