A day after IPL 2024 retentions deadline ended, Gujarat Titans’ captain Hardik Pandya has made a move to his first IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
New Delhi: Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya who recovering from an injury that he had while playing against Bangladesh in the recently concluded ODI World Cup will likely make a comeback in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League which will be played in 2024.
A day after IPL 2024 retentions deadline ended, Gujarat Titans’ captain Hardik Pandya has made a move to his first IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
“The BCCI and the NCA have curated an 18-week programme for Hardik Pandya where every single day until March has been designed to suit a purpose. The board wants Hardik to be at his best during the 2024-26 cycle” said News18 report.
Hardik led Gujarat to the IPL title in 2022 in their debut season, and was the Player of the Match in the final against Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In 2023, Gujarat made the IPL final for the second time in as many seasons, where they finished runners up to Chennai Super Kings.
In both seasons, under Hardik’s leadership, Gujarat had topped the points table in the league stage. But it was at Mumbai, where Hardik began his IPL career from in 2015, at INR 10 lakhs. From an uncapped player, Hardik rose to be Mumbai’s vital cog in the wheel as a fast-bowling all-rounder.
“Seeing Hardik back at Mumbai Indians makes me very happy. It is a happy homecoming. He provides great balance to any team he plays. Hardik’s first stint with the MI family was hugely successful, and we hope he achieves even more success in his second stint,” said Akash Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians.
He also earned an India cap across all formats and was a member of their IPL title-winning seasons in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Hardik was released by Mumbai ahead of IPL 2022 mega auctions, and was taken in by Gujarat for INR 15 crores, where he spent two seasons.
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In his stint with Gujarat, Hardik amassed 833 runs in 30 innings, with an average of 41.65 and strike rate of 133.49, hitting six half-centuries. He also took 11 wickets for the franchise at an economy rate of 8.1.
