In a major development in the Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans' captain Hardik Pandya reportedly joined Mumbai Indians after the teams submitted a retained players list on Sunday, November 26. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians paid INR 15 crore to re-sign the star all-rounder ahead of the player auction on December 19.
Teams had till November 26 to submit their list of retained and released players with player swap deals already taking place. ESPNCricinfo and PTI reports that Hardik joined Mumbai Indians while the franchise traded a star Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"Yes, Hardik's trade off got completed after 5 pm. The deal is now formalised and he is a MI player. It's been a tripartite all cash deal. MI have traded their all-rounder Cameron Green to RCB in an all cash deal. After that they had requisite funds to settle an all-cash deal with Gujarat Titans and procure Hardik's services," a senior BCCI official and IPL Governing Council member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Hardik started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians in 2015 and left the team in 2021. He was signed by debutant Gujarat Titans prior to the 2022 mega auction and was later named the team captain. Hardik famously guided the Ahmedabad-based franchise to the IPL title in 2022 and also led the side to the final of the 2023 edition.
The 30-year-old batting all-rounder lifted the IPL trophy with Mumbai Indians on four occasions. He was a surprise release prior to the 2022 mega auction and was snapped by the Titans for INR 15 crore from the player's pool. Hardik shone with both bat and ball with his new team in 2022 and famously won the Player of the Match award in the final. But he struggled for consistency in the last edition despite the team's impressive run to the final.
Hardik is widely tipped to be named India's future white-ball captain and might lead the Mumbai franchise after Rohit Sharma's retirement in the future. Gujarat Titans have New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson who can lead the team in the IPL 2024.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians needed to make funds available to sign Hardik with only INR 15.50 crore in the purse. Teams are also given permission to spend an extra INR 5 crore for the 2024 edition and Mumbai Indians boosted their purse by releasing Jofra Archer and ten more players.
Hardik's trade will be the biggest transfer in IPL trade window history. Hardik will also become the only third captain to get traded in IPL history after Ajinkya Rahane's move to Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals and Ravichandran Ashwin's departure from Punjab Kings to Delhi Capitals.
