“Hardik Pandya expressed desire to return to Mumbai Indians”, Gujarat Titans Director Vikram Solanki reveals the IPL 2024 Trade.

Vikram Solanki, Gujarat Titans’ Director of Cricket, disclosed that Hardik Pandya expressed his desire to return to Mumbai Indians after the official confirmation of the trade. Solanki wished Hardik well and recognized his pivotal role in GT’s inaugural season victory (IPL 2022).

Despite reaching the 2023 final under Hardik, GT narrowly lost to Chennai Super Kings. Hardik’s impressive journey with the Titans led to his selection as India’s T20I captain during Rohit Sharma’s absence, making him a potential successor for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

GT Director 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 (2022) and one appearance in the final (2023). 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.”

However, uncertainty looms over his captaincy at MI in IPL 2024, as Rohit has been retained. Having played seven seasons with MI, culminating in a 2021 title triumph, Hardik’s return to Mumbai coincides with Shubman Gill’s appointment as GT’s new captain for IPL 2024.