Hardik Pandya remains at Gujurat Titans for IPL 2024, isn’t moving to Mumbai Indians.

In a surprising turn of events, Gujarat Titans (GT) have chosen to keep the talented Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, despite widespread speculation linking him to a possible return to the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL Auction 2024. Hardik’s association with the Titans began in 2022, where he played a pivotal role in their victorious debut IPL season, securing the Player of the Match award in an exhilarating final against the Rajasthan Royals

The following year saw the Titans, under Hardik’s leadership, reach the IPL summit clash, ultimately finishing as runners-up to the Chennai Super Kings. The potential move would have been a rare instance of a captain being traded, reminiscent of earlier exchanges like Ravichandran Ashwin’s shift from Punjab Kings to Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals’ trade of Ajinkya Rahane to Delhi Capitals in 2020.

Hardik’s IPL journey commenced in 2015 with the Mumbai Indians, initially signed as an uncapped prospect for Rs 10 lakhs. His impactful contributions played a crucial role in Mumbai’s championship triumphs in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Despite being released by MI before the 2022 mega auction, the franchise chose to retain other key players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kieron Pollard, sparking speculation about Hardik’s potential return. However, any comeback would now only happen through a player-to-player trade.