Kolkata Police's cybercrime meme featuring Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya goes viral

Mumbai Indians (MI) stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have garnered considerable attention in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) courtesy of the captaincy change.

Sharma, who led the side to five IPL titles during his stint, was removed from captaincy ahead of the season. Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai in an all-cash deal and was appointed as the new skipper.

The two players' on-field behaviour has been a big highlight this season, also triggering multiple memes. Kolkata Police, too, jumped on the bandwagon, sharing a meme featuring Sharma and Pandya to raise awareness about UPI payment safety.

The Kolkata police posted on its official social media handles:

The image read (translated to English):

"When you scan the QR code after listening to a fraudster, Rohit is the bank account and Hardik is the deceived."

The Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai side are off to a disastrous start in IPL 2024, suffering back-to-back losses in their first two fixtures. They are currently languishing at the penultimate spot in the points table.

---

"Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120" - Irfan Pathan slams Hardik Pandya following MI's 31-run loss to SRH

Mumbai took on SunRisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday, March 27. Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field first in the contest.

The move backfired as the Hyderabad batters made merry on the batting-friendly surface. Heinrich Klaasen remained unbeaten on 80, while Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head scored 63 and 62, respectively.

Hyderabad finished at 277/3 in 20 overs, registering the highest-ever total in the league's history. Mumbai fought hard in the run chase, even giving fans hope of a miraculous victory.

However, they could only manage 246 runs from their 20 overs, suffering a 31-run loss. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was unimpressed by Hardik Pandya's batting exploits, as the MI skipper mustered 24 runs off 20 balls.

Slamming Pandya for his strike rate in the high-scoring affair, Pathan wrote on microblogging platform X:

"If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120."

Mumbai will now take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 1.