Hardik Pandya is scheduled to go from Gujarat Titans and rejoin Mumbai Indians, where he began his IPL career in 2015, barring any last-minute adjustments.
According to the media, the transaction is an all-cash agreement in which Titans would get an unknown transfer fee in addition to Mumbai paying Hardik’s salary of approximately INR 15 crore ($1.8 million). Hardik may receive as much as 50% of the transfer charge.
Should the deal proceed, it may potentially be the largest player exchange in IPL history. However, neither franchise has yet to remark publicly on the trade. Having a large enough purse for the commerce is Mumbai’s largest challenge. Mumbai has just INR 0.05 crore ($6000 approx.) remaining after the last auction. For the upcoming auction, franchises will receive an additional INR 5 crore ($600,000 approximately) in their pockets. This implies that in order to complete the Hardik transfer, Mumbai must release player or players. The deadline for retention is November 26 at 4 p.m. IST.
In 2022, the Titans’ IPL maiden season, Hardik guided the team to victory and was named Player of the Match in the championship match against the Rajasthan Royals. For the second time in two seasons, the Titans advanced to the IPL final in 2023, finishing second behind the Chennai Super Kings. Under Hardik’s direction, the Titans had won the league championship both seasons.
Hardik scored 833 runs in 30 innings over his two seasons with the Titans, averaging 41.65 and striking out 133.49. For them, he claimed 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.1. Due to an ankle injury sustained during India’s ODI World Cup campaign, Hardik is currently sidelined.
If the deal goes through, Hardik will be the third captain to be dealt in 2020, following the trades of R Ashwin from the Punjab Kings to the Delhi Capitals and Ajinkya Rahane from the Rajasthan Royals to the Capitals.
The Titans franchise, which is controlled by global money management CVC Capital Partners, was given the option to select three players from the group of players that other teams released prior to the major auction when it first started in 2021. Shubman Gill was the Titans’ third-round selection, going for INR 7 crore. Hardik and Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan were signed for INR 15 lakh apiece.
Hardik started his IPL career at Mumbai, where he went on to become one of the top all-around players in the league. Hardik was a member of Mumbai’s championship-winning seasons in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 after being acquired for INR 10 lakhs in 2015 as an uncapped player.
It was unexpected when Hardik was finally freed ahead of the 2022 mega auction after being detained by Mumbai before each sale until 2021. Mumbai was only permitted to keep four players that season, and they choose to hold onto Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rohit Sharma. This allowed the Titans to recruit Hardik as their captain.
Shahbaz went to Sunrisers, while Dagar went to RCB.
All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed of India will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming season after being traded by his team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, for Mayank Dagar. It is acknowledged that the two clubs are simply exchanging items in this deal.
Dagar, a Himachal Pradesh domestic cricket player, was acquired for INR 1.8 crore prior to the 2023 Indian Premier League, while Shahbaz was acquired for INR 2.4 crore prior to the 2022 tournament. Dagar played three games for the Sunrisers last season.
For the upcoming season, both the Sunrisers and the RCB have new management. Daniel Vettori is the new coach of the Sunrisers, while Andy Flower has been appointed by the RCB to the same position.
