In what will be the biggest trade in IPL history, star all-rounder and Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya is set to return to the Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
While Mumbai will pay Hardik his INR 15 crore IPL contract, the Baroda cricketer is reportedly set to receive a much larger sum of money, and also is believed to have been given the assurance that he will lead Mumbai this season or when Rohit Sharma steps down.
What initially had started as simply social media rumors is now only an official confirmation away from becoming the reality.
Will Hardik Pandya return to Mumbai Indians?
Hardik Pandya’s stint at the Gujarat Titans will come to an end after two successful seasons and he will return to Mumbai Indians, his first franchise where he started his IPL career in 2015.
A report in ESPNcricinfo said that “the trade is an all-cash deal comprising Mumbai paying INR 15 crore ($1.8 million approx.) as Hardik’s salary and an undisclosed transfer fee to Titans. Hardik stands to earn upto 50% of the transfer fee.”
The big issue for Mumbai Indians here is how they will make purse for Hardik Pandya’s INR 15 crore. After the last auction, Mumbai had just INR 0.05 crore and 5 crore have been topped up to each franchise. This means that Mumbai Indians will release multiple players worth over 10 crore – Jofra Archer, who holds INR 8 crore contract, could be released – to make space for Hardik’s salary.
The deadline for franchises to announce the list of retained, released, and traded players is November 26 at 4 pm IST.
Hardik Pandya was at MI from 2015 to 2021, winning 4 IPL trophies and cementing his place in the Indian team. He was released ahead of IPL 2022 and he joined Gujarat Titans as their captain. He led GT to two consecutive IPL finals, winning one and losing one. Under Hardik, GT topped the league stage in both seasons. GT even defeated MI in the Qualifier 2 in IPL 2023.
