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[Saba Sports News] Ahead of the 17th Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, the trade of Gujarat Titans’ skipper Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal has caused quite a stir. This move potentially strengthens Mumbai Indians, making them serious title contenders again.
However, Joy Bhattacharjya, former team director of Kolkata Knight Riders, has expressed strong criticism of this trade. He drew parallels with a 2010 incident involving Ravindra Jadeja, who was banned for a season for trying to force a move from Rajasthan Royals to Mumbai Indians.
Bhattacharjya, speaking on the Oaktree Sports YouTube Channel, argued that such trades set a bad precedent, suggesting that they might encourage other players to disrupt the system to get what they want.
“I do not think it is a great idea for the tournament because something similar almost happened in 2010. Ravindra Jadeja did not play a particular season because he wanted to move on and the franchise had signed him. He had said that he doesn’t want to play for Rajasthan Royals anymore, and so he was banned for a year because they said that you cannot break the system,” Bhattacharjya shared.
He believes that allowing such moves undermines the integrity of the league and could lead to negative trends, as it might motivate players to create disturbances to facilitate their desired transfers. Bhattacharjya’s stance highlights the potential implications of such high-profile player movements in the IPL.
“If a player suddenly says, Take me from the auction, but I do not want to play for you, and once you start encouraging this trend, then it will not be a good idea to go down that road. That is why it was stopped in 2010,” he added. “In 2023, you have allowed this to happen with a big player. The truth of this is that once you start allowing it, players will realise that if they can kick up enough of a fuss, the franchise will leave them…I don’t think this is a good precedent for the league.”