On Sunday, all the speculations and rumors were confirmed when Mumbai Indians successfully completed the biggest trade in the history of the Indian Premier League as they acquired the services of Hardik Pandya. The trade happened shortly after the official announcement that Gujarat Titans had retained him as their captain for IPL 2024.
While the owners of Mumbai Indians warmly welcomed back the star all-rounder, on the other hand, Gujarat Titans, in their initial response to the significant IPL trade announcement, revealed that it was Hardik’s own wish to return to his former franchise.
Hardik Pandya captained Gujarat to a remarkable IPL title victory in their inaugural appearance in the league in 2022. He was also named the Player of the Match in the final for his exceptional all-round performance. In the subsequent season, Hardik led the side to the final once more but was defeated by MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.
Gujarat Titans Director Opens On Hardik Pandya’s Trade
During these two years, Hardik Pandya received praise from one and all for his leadership qualities. As a result, he was entrusted with the captaincy for the white-ball matches for Team India whenever regular skipper Rohit Sharma opted for rest.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki, on Monday, revealed that it was actually Hardik’s decision to return to Mumbai Indians and he wished him all the luck. He revealed:
“As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one TATA IPL championship and one appearance in the final. He has now expressed a desire to return to his original team Mumbai Indians. We respect his decision and wish him all the very best in his future endeavours,” Solanki said.
Hardik Pandya gained prominence during his tenure with Mumbai Indians, where he was acquired for just INR 10 lakhs in 2015 as an uncapped player. Subsequently, he evolved into a key member of the franchise, contributing to their title victories in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Surprisingly, Mumbai released Hardik ahead of the 2022 mega auction, leading to his acquisition by Gujarat Titans, who appointed him as their captain.
