Hardik Pandya retained by Gujarat Titans amid rumours of switching to Mumbai Indians

Before joining Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya played seven seasons for Mumbai Indians and won the title in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

India all rounder Hardik Pandya has been retained for another eiditon of Indian Premier League (IPL) by Gujarat Titans ahead of the auctions in December. The development comes amid rumours of Pandya switching franchises and returning to Mumbai Indians in 2024 edition of the mega cricket event.

As per reports, the Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper was set to return to the team (Mumbai Indians) that gave him his first break in the competition back in 2015. MI were set to pay Rs 15 crore in addition to an undisclosed transfer fee to secure his services, as per a report by ESPN Cricinfo. However, GT has now officially retained Pandya in a surprise move.

The all rounder captained the Titans to victory in their first season in 2022 and a year later, led them to the finals where they lost to Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Before joining the Titans, Pandya played seven seasons for Mumbai Indians and won four titles in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

When the Titans franchise came into existence in 2021, their owners-CVC Capital Partners-were permitted to choose three players of their choice and went for Pandya (Rs 15 crore), Rashid Khan (Rs 15 crore) and Shubman Gill (Rs 7 crore).

Earlier, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane were traded to the Delhi Capitals in 2020, after leading the Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises respectively in the IPL.

The IPL 2024 auction will take place in Dubai on December 19-the first time the event has moved out of India.

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