IPL: Gujarat Titans retain Hardik Pandya amid MI trade speculations
In yet another development, Gujarat Titans have retained star all-rounder and captain Hardik Pandya, who was believed to be involved in a trade with his former franchise, Mumbai Indians. The news of Pandya leaving GT and returning to MI has been doing the rounds of late. However, the Titans have listed Pandya as their captain in their retention list announced on November 26.
Why does this story matter?
Pandya is one of the most celebrated all-rounders going around. His stocks have skyrocketed since joining GT in 2022. The all-rounder aced the leadership role as the Titans clinched the title in their inaugural season before finishing second to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2023. Owing to the same, Pandya's switch to his former franchise, MI, was deemed a shocker.
Decoding the all-cash deal involving Pandya
Earlier this week, it was reported that Pandya is set to return to MI. As per ESPNcricinfo, he was involved in an all-cash deal, according to which MI are supposed to pay Rs. 15 crore as his salary and an undisclosed transfer fee to Titans. If this goes ahead, Pandya stands to earn up to 50% of the transfer fee.
Can the trade still happen?
The IPL trade window is open until December 12, a week before the all-important auction for the 2024 edition. Therefore, Pandya's GT-MI trade could still happen. As per ESPNcricinfo, "There is still room for that. We haven't seen the end of this news yet."
IPL 2024: Players retained and released by GT
Retained: David Miller, Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya (captain), Abhinav Manohar, B Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Josh Little, and Mohit Sharma. Released: Yash Dayal, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Pradeep Sangwan, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, and Dasun Shanaka.
Pandya played seven seasons for MI
Pandya made his IPL debut in 2015 for MI. Having served the franchise for seven seasons, the Indian all-rounder amassed 1,476 runs from 92 matches at an average of 27.33 (SR: 153.91). He also owns 42 wickets with the best match haul of 3/20. MI didn't retain Pandya for the 2022 edition. Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kieron Pollard were their picks.
His stats for GT and in IPL
In his two seasons at Titans, Pandya racked up 833 runs in 30 innings, with an average of 41.65. His strike rate read 133.49. Pandya claimed 11 wickets with the ball. Overall, Pandya owns 2,309 runs at 30.38. He has slammed 10 fifties with the best of 91. Notably, he has smacked 125 sixes. He owns 53 scalps in the IPL at 33.26.
