Former MI analyst discloses the reason behind Hardik Pandya's trade

Mumbai Indians (MI) created mayhem in the last few days of November by trading the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain, Hardik Pandya, in an all-cash trade ahead of the 2024 season of Indian Premier League (IPL). It was the biggest trade in the history of the league, as MI got the only thing they lacked in their squad and now look a formidable unit. It was an all-cash deal, with the five-time champions also providing a transfer fee to Gujarat Titans, of which the amount is not disclosed.

It was an unexpected move because Hardik was the face of GT and led them successfully in two years since the team came into existence. Under his leadership, the Gujarat-based franchise was the most consistent team in the IPL and looked unbeatable at times. Hardik led them to the title in their maiden season while also coming close to a victory in the second stint before Ravindra Jadeja pulled off a miracle to stop GT’s caravan.

Hardik Pandya expressed his happiness about returning home after two years. Pandya’s major cricketing career started in 2015 when MI picked him as a raw talent. Since then, he has grown leaps and bounds and transformed himself into an indispensable asset for any team.

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Pandya’s skillsets are top-notch and rare. No wonder Mumbai Indians paid a separate transfer fee, which is not part of the league, to acquire his services. Hardik will now return to the team that has given him a name and fame.

MI analyst reveals the reason behind Hardik Pandya’s trade

Former Mumbai Indians analyst Harishankar had a discussion on a YouTube channel, Blacksheep Chat, about the stuff regarding IPL. He talked about various aspects, stating IPL as a “corporate game”.

“IPL is completely a corporate game,” said Harishankar on the show. “Anything can happen there. It's about what you give and the returns you get.”

Harishankar also disclosed the thought process behind MI’s move to trade Hardik Pandya. He felt that MI might be looking at Hardik as a successor to the current captain, Rohit Sharma.

“They are seeing Hardik as a future captain for Mumbai Indians. As we don't know how long will be Rohit Sharma's tenure. They could've even gone all out to bring in Hardik Pandya.”

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