Hardik Pandya’s trade from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians (MI) has recently been a hot topic. There are varied reactions from different fraternities to Pandya’s transfer to Mumbai Indians. The Mumbai-based franchise has faced quite a backlash from the fans on their decision to make Hardik Pandya their new skipper, removing Rohit Sharma from his role.
Mumbai Indians (MI) made an extremely controversial decision to accommodate Hardik Pandya. It was pretty clear that a player of Hardik’s stature would only accept a deal that involved him being the captain as he was already leading a franchise and also won a title with them.
However, Mumbai Indians removed Rohit Sharma, a player who won all five titles for them just to fit Pandya in the squad. The move was 15 crore on paper for MI, but many were also surprised at how Gujarat Titans let go of a marquee player and the skipper that led them to their maiden IPL title in their very first season.
According to a report from Indian Express, the Gujarat Titans’ deal for Hardik Pandya with Mumbai Indians was basically a ‘gold mine’ for the Gujarat Titans. The report brings an interesting angle to the deal stating the speculated profits made by a franchise that paid 5625 crores to be a part of the Indian Premier League.
The report from Indian Express, states that the two franchises have different cultures and Goals. CVC Capital (Owners of Gujarat Titans) is an investment firm with 40 managing partners and is a global entity that looks at IPL as a gold mine to make profits. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are owned by a business family and one of the richest families in the country. So naturally, other factors also affect their decision-making rather than just making profits.
Hardik Pandya’s Trade To Mumbai Indians From Gujarat Titans Explained
Hardik Pandya’s trade details (Indian Express): pic.twitter.com/MNiN5grdYC
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 24, 2023
Therefore, by selling Hardik Pandya to MI, they not only got 15 crores in their auction purse but also received a huge transfer fee from IPL which is speculated to be around 100 crores. Gujarat Titans made a huge profit by selling their best player and their first pick of IPL. Whereas, Mumbai Indians got their new skipper and the player who represented them for seven seasons since his debut.
Hardik Pandya’s announcement as the new skipper of the Mumbai-based franchise received a lot of backlash from fans and MI saw a decline in their followers on Instagram. They were the most followed IPL franchise on Instagram with 13.2 million followers which was reduced by around a million just a day after Rohit was removed as the skipper.
Hardik Pandya will be leading the Mumbai Indians for the first time in the Indian Premier League. He has captained the Indian team and the Gujarat Titans so he has a good amount of experience in leading a side. However, it is very unnatural to see a player who is currently the official captain of the Indian Team in all three formats be removed from his role in the IPL.
