Newly appointed captain of the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya was welcomed royally upon his arrival at Reliance Industries in Jamnagar. Hardik Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians for a deal that could be worth more than 100 crores according to reports. Hardik Pandya is currently out of action due to an injury that he picked during the ODI World Cup.
Hardik Pandya will replace Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai-based franchise in the upcoming IPL 2024. He is not completely fit as of now and will miss out on the T20I series against Afghanistan. He will not be playing any cricket till the start of the IPL and will be leading the Mumbai Indians for the first time in the Indian Premier League.
Hardik Pandya made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2015 and after playing seven seasons for the franchise he moved to Gujarat Titans who offered a captaincy stint to him. Hardik Pandya will now be back with his former team as a captain and he will try to carry on with the legacy that Rohit Sharma built by winning five IPL titles with them.
In a video that dates to December 19, the star all-rounder, who joined the Mumbai-based franchise last month from the Gujarat Titans in a deal that is speculated to be worth more than 100 crores was welcomed with horses, musical instruments, and more. The video of Hardik Pandya getting a royal reception was shared on X by a fan on December 27 and went viral on the internet immediately.
Watch- Hardik Pandya Gets Royal Reception In Jamnagar
मुबई इंडियंस के कप्तान रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज जामनगर पहुंचे।
उनका स्वागत घोड़े और बाजा से किया गया…..
(19 decemcer)@hardikpandya7♥️#HardikPandya #MumbaiIndians #ViratKohli #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/SYRDMFcOeS— Kirpal sinh (hardik♥️) (@ChauhanKirpal11) December 27, 2023
Hardik Pandya made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians in 2015 after being signed for just Rs 10 lakh in the auction. He joined the Gujarat Titans for Rs 15 crores ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions after not being retained by the Mumbai-based Franchise. He led GT to an IPL title in his first season with the Ahmedabad-based franchise, and in 2023, under his leadership, Gujarat Titans finished as runners-up.
After a sudden trade from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians, Hardik was appointed as the new captain of the franchise on December 16. He replaced Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who led MI to five IPL titles as captain during his 11 years in charge. The decision to appoint Hardik Pandya by removing Rohit Sharma was heavily criticized by the fans and there was a huge unfollowing of the franchise’s social-media handle with fans even burning their jersey.
Mumbai Indians bought eight players in the IPL 2024 auctions which took place on December 19 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. They got South African pacer Gerald Coetzee for INR 5 crores and the Sri Lankan pace duo of Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madhushanka for INR 4.80 crores and 4.60 crores respectively. They also bought Mohammed Nabi in the second round of the auction and strengthened their spin-bowling attack.
