The reports of Hardik Pandya’s IPL trade have taken the cricketing world by storm. The star all-rounder is set to join his former IPL team Mumbai Indians (MI) in a move from Gujarat Titans (GT).
The trade is an all-cash deal comprising the Mumbai-based franchise paying INR 15 crore as Hardik’s salary and an undisclosed transfer fee to Titans. Pandya stands to earn up to 50% of the transfer fee, ESPNcricinfo reported on Saturday (November 25).
If the deal goes through, it will be considered the biggest player trade in IPL history. As of now, neither franchise has made it official.
Amid the speculations, veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared his views on Hardik Pandya’s possible return to MI.
“If it’s true, Mumbai Indians have struck gold. So if it’s true, it’s a complete cash deal from whatever I read. There’s no player that Mumbai is giving, Mumbai Indians have never given players on trade. I don’t think it has ever happened. But how does that XI look if Hardik goes back, who’s an MI grown player,” Ashwin said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
If the move happens successfully, it would be only the third time in IPL history that a franchise captain gets traded after Ajinkya Rahane and Ashwin himself.
“The only difference between us and Hardik is that he’s an IPL-winning captain which completely changes the balance for even Gujarat Titans,” Ashwin added.
Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to IPL triumph in their debut season in 2022. In the 2023 edition, he took the team to the final, where they lost to MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Hardik began 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.
