India’s hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the most talented cricketers around the world. All thanks to his brilliant performance over the years, he has cemented his place in the Indian cricket team and Mumbai Indians.
In fact, Hardik was given a national platform to showcase his talent in front of the world by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015 and since then, there have been no turning backs for the cricketer. It won’t be wrong to say that Hardik has become an integral member of the team and has played a crucial role in the success of the team.
However, if reports are to be believed then the Mumbai Indians might not retain Hardik and will send him into the IPL 2022 mega auction pool. Considering the recent struggles of Hardik with injuries and his inability to bowl regularly, MI management might look forward to releasing him and spending their money wisely.
With 2 more teams joining the IPL, there will be a big auction taking place in December this year with a lot of teams restructuring their core, while keeping the future in mind. A senior IPL official tracking the retention market of franchises told PTI:
“I think BCCI will have three-player retention formula with one Right to Match card. If RTM is not there, there could be four retentions. Rohit Sharma and India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are automatic picks. Kieron Pollard will be the third retention. MI’s strength is their continuity as these three are pillars of MI,”
The senior official also claimed that instead of retaining Hardik Pandya, the team might look forward to spending money on Suryakumar Yadav or Ishan Kishan. He said:
“At this point in time, there is less than 10 percent chance that Hardik will be retained by MI. Yes, he might just outperform everybody in the next few T20 World Cup games but even then, chances are dim. If there are four retentions or 1 RTM, then Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are the contenders for that slot,”
But there are still chances that Mumbai Indians can still pick him if he comes within the budget earmarked for him. The IPL insider revealed:
“Yes, obviously there is a market dynamics and if required MI will pick him from the auction, provided he fits within a specific budget. In order of preference, the first five MI players are Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan,”
