Hardik Pandya, the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT), might be returning to his old team Mumbai Indians (MI) in what could be one of the most surprising transactions in Indian Premier League history.
According to ESPNCricinfo, MI would pay the Titans INR 15 crore for Hardik Pandya’s services. This is only the amount Hardik will receive; the transfer fee has not been published.
It would be fascinating to observe how Mumbai manages its retentions before the deadline on November 26 at 4 PM IST. Each team will receive an additional INR 5 crore, but this will not be enough for MI, who would need to find a way to free up at least INR 10 crore elsewhere by releasing certain players.
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy masterclass: Gujarat Titans lift IPL 2022 trophy
Hardik Pandya left the Mumbai Indians after seven seasons to join the Gujarat Titans, where he was also chosen captain. It was a fantastic run for his squad as they won the title, with Hardik collecting the Player of the Match award in the final.
The all-rounder backed it up with another strong season earlier this year, reaching the final but losing to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
It is still unclear if Hardik will be the next MI captain or whether he would continue to play under Rohit Sharma’s guidance like he did previously. However, this might be a huge coup for the Mumbai Indians, who had a fantastic previous season in which they reached Qualifier 2.
Hardik’s arrival will further bolster MI’s chances of capturing a record sixth IPL title next year.
