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[Saba Sports News] Indian cricketer and former Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Hardik Pandya has reconfirmed his move back to the Mumbai Indians (MI) for IPL 2024. Despite rumors of his trade to MI and being listed as a retained player by GT at the players’ retention deadline, the official announcement came later. To facilitate Pandya’s inclusion, MI traded Cameron Green to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an all-cash deal worth INR 17.5 Crore.
India and Rajasthan Royals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin humorously commented on this development. He described Pandya’s return to MI as striking gold, likening it to Pandya going to GT, getting an “MBA degree,” and then returning home. Ashwin emphasized the value of Pandya, now seen as the Indian T20 captain who has led a team to an IPL victory and a runner-up finish in 2023.
“Green has left Mumbai Indians for RCB. It is a straight swap. Mumbai Indians have cleared their purse. Hardik for Green is a strange swap. They have money for one spinner and one overseas fast bowler and it is pretty much clear for Mumbai. It’s done and dusted. They have landed gold. I mean it is not even a like-to-like because MI have got the Indian T20 captain who has won an IPL and came runner-up in 2023. Basically, he went to GT, became a leader, got an MBA degree and came back home,” shared Ashwin.
Hardik’s journey with MI began in 2015 when he joined as an uncapped player for INR 10 Lakh. His career skyrocketed at MI, contributing significantly to their four title wins and seeing a salary hike to 11 crores by 2018.
Leading GT to an IPL title in their debut season and another final in 2023, Pandya’s return to MI marks a full circle. He is now viewed as the potential successor to Rohit Sharma’s legacy in the upcoming IPL seasons.