Gujarat Titans confirm Hardik Pandya's return to Mumbai Indians after intense drama

Hardik Pandya spent two years at GT as skipper since their inception in 2022. He captained them to a title win in 2022 and took them to the final in the following season, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings.

India's T20I captain Hardik Pandya on November 26 returned to his "spiritual home" Mumbai Indians (MI) after an all-cash deal trade-off with Gujarat Titans (GT) was formally completed following 72 hours of intense drama.

On November 26 at 5 pm, the IPL retention window was closed and at that point, GT named their IPL-winning captain in the retention list raising a lot of eyebrows. This was because the formal paperwork had not yet been completed and hence IPL and BCCI did not give the greenlight to the announcement of the most anticipated move of this transfer season.

Also Read: Shubman Gill appointed new Gujarat Titans captain

However, on November 27, GT announced the departure of their captain on X (formerly known as Twitter) with a picture of Pandya and a caption that read, "Farewell and best wishes on your next journey. Go well, HP!." Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket at Gujarat Titans, said, “As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one IPL championship and one appearance in the final. He has now expressed a desire to return to his original team Mumbai Indians. We respect his decision and wish him all the very best in his future endeavours."

Mumbai Indians too announced the deal on X by also posting a Pandya, in the team's colours, by stating "Welcome Back HOME". They also posted a statement by Nita Ambani, who is part of the team's ownership group, which read: "We are thrilled to welcome Hardik back home! It’s a heartwarming reunion with our Mumbai Indians family! From being a young scouted talent of Mumbai Indians to now being a team India star, Hardik has come a long way and we’re excited for what the future holds for him and Mumbai Indians!"

Deal specifics

Regarding the intense drama that saw Pandya make GT's retention list on November 26, a senior BCCI official, who is also a member of the IPL governing council, was quoted as saying: "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."

With Pandya's exit, GT confirmed that Indian batting star Shubhman Gill will skipper the side for the upcoming IPL 2024 season. Read about it here

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