Barring any last-minute modifications, Hardik Pandya is ready to depart Gujarat Titans and return to Mumbai Indians, the place he began his IPL profession in 2015. ESPNcricinfo has realized the commerce is an all-cash deal, with Mumbai paying INR 15 crore ($1.8 million approx.) to Titans to safe Hardik, forward of the 2024 IPL participant public sale on December 19.

In case the commerce goes by means of, it should probably be the most important participant commerce in IPL historical past. Neither franchise has but made any public touch upon the commerce although. The greatest problem for Mumbai is to have an sufficient purse for the commerce. After the final public sale, Mumbai had simply INR 0.05 crore ($6000 approx.) left. Franchises will get an extra INR 5 crore ($600,000 approx.) of their purse for the forthcoming public sale. This solely means Mumbai have to launch participant(s) to complete the Hardik commerce. The retention deadline expires on November 26 at 4pm IST.

If the commerce occurs, Hardik will develop into the third captain to be traded after R Ashwin moved from Punjab Kings to Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals traded Ajinkya Rahane additionally to Capitals, in 2020.

When the Titans franchise, owned by world fund supervisor CVC Capital Partners, got here into existence in 2021, they had been allowed to select three gamers from the pool launched by different franchises earlier than the mega public sale. Titans signed Hardik and Afghanistan allrounder Rashid Khan for INR 15 crore every, with Shubman Gill their third choose at INR 7 crore.

It was at Mumbai, the place Hardik started his IPL profession and developed into the most effective allrounders within the sport. Bought for INR 10 lakhs as an uncapped participant in 2015, Hardik was part of Mumbai's title-winning seasons in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Having been retained by Mumbai forward of each public sale till 2021, Hardik was lastly launched forward of the 2022 mega public sale, a call that got here as a shock. Mumbai had been allowed to retain solely 4 gamers that yr and so they selected to maintain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard, paving the way in which for Titans to signal Hardik as their captain.