Hardik Pandya started his IPL career at Mumbai Indians in 2015.
In December last year, MI appointed Hardik as their new captain. The all-rounder would be succeeding Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five IPL titles in his 10-year stint as skipper.
This move came after Hardik returned to MI, following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans (GT), whom he led in the past two seasons.
Speaking to Star Sports, Hardik Pandya recently credited Mumbai Indians for his success in the international stage, saying that he would not have been sitting at his current stature in world cricket.
The 30-year-old delved into his debut IPL season in 2015 and how he played a key role in Mumbai's title win under the captaincy of Rohit.
Notably, Pandya started his IPL career at Mumbai Indians in 2015 and played for them until 2021, winning a total of four titles in seven seasons. Ahead of the 2022 mega-auction, MI let him go as they could retain only a few players.
After his release, the all-rounder was signed by the new Gujarat franchise, whom he led to a title win in 2022 and a runner-up finish last year.
“It was special; it’s because of the moment that I might be sitting here. If that hadn’t happened, I might not have been here. The whole season, for us (Mumbai Indians), I was fortunate enough that I was able to contribute on a much larger scale. My best memories were my two Man of the Match awards in do-or-die situations,“ Pandya said.
"It is my life’s best year; this is where the journey started. The boy from Gujarat with big dreams was able to execute it because of this moment,” he added.
Here’s the video:
The IPL 2024 season is slated to get underway with the Chennai Super Kings versus Royal Challengers Bangalore clash at Chepauk on March 22.
Hardik Pandya's first assignment as the captain of Mumbai Indians will see the all-rounder locking horns with his former side Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 24.