Hardik Pandya to quit Gujarat Titans? Mumbai Indians plans his comeback
Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya is reportedly in talks with five-time IPL winner Mumbai Indians for a comeback in the team. The news has come ahead of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) auction which will be held in December.
Pandya had played seven seasons of IPL for Mumbai before being released before the 2022 season. After joining Gujarat Titans, Pandya led the side to back-to-back IPL finals, including earning them the trophy in their debut season.
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“Yes, I can confirm that there have been talks of Hardik going to MI. There remains a chance that he might switch sides but at this moment, nothing more can be confirmed as of now as the deal is yet to be signed,” said an IPL source to PTI news agency.
Since trading involves swapping of players, it is still not clear that if Pandya returns to MI fold, who could switch over to the Titans.
Pandya’s IPL career began with Mumbai Indians in 2015 and several media reports have claimed that he may return to the team in the upcoming IPL season. Mumbai Indians is reportedly ready to shell out ₹15 crore to bring Pandya into the team again. So far both the IPL franchises are tight-lipped on this mega deal.
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With the IPL Governing Council increasing the purse by an additional ₹5 crore, MI go into the mini-auction with ₹5.50 crore (up from the existing ₹50 lakh purse) unless they release some of their big buys to swell the reserve money.
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If Pandya finally signs up for MI on dotted lines, the big question remains is whether he is going to play under iconic Rohit Sharma, who has led the side to five trophies and has been in prime form.
These are the questions that remain unanswered for now and the picture will only be clear once BCCI officially announces the final trading list.
(With PTI inputs)
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Updated: 25 Nov 2023, 08:53 AM IST
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