On Sunday, Hardik Pandya, India’s T20I captain, marked his return to the Mumbai Indians, dubbing it his “spiritual home,” following a complex all-cash deal swap with the Gujarat Titans that concluded after 72 hours of intense drama.
The IPL retention window closed at 5 pm on Sunday, with Gujarat Titans naming their IPL-winning captain in the retention list, prompting considerable surprise. However, the formal paperwork was not yet complete at that point, and both the IPL and BCCI withheld approval for the highly anticipated move in this transfer season.
After 5 pm, Hardik’s trade-off was finalized. The deal, confirmed as a tripartite all-cash arrangement, transformed him into a Mumbai Indians player. A senior BCCI official and IPL Governing Council member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed, “It’s been a tripartite all-cash deal. MI have traded their all-rounder Cameron Green to RCB in an all cash deal. After that, they had requisite funds to settle an all-cash deal with Gujarat Titans and procure Hardik’s services.”
It’s worth noting that Mumbai Indians had acquired Cameron Green for a significant Rs 17.5 crore during the last auction, and the funds needed to secure Hardik weren’t available until that deal was finalized.
Hardik Pandya was selected by the Titans ahead of the 2022 auction from the list of available players for the two new franchises—Titans and Lucknow Super Giants. With a reported fee of Rs 15 crore, he led the Titans to back-to-back finals, winning the championship in the inaugural year and narrowly losing to CSK in 2023.
Mumbai Indians, known for their systematic team-building process, strategically brought in Pandya with a long-term vision, considering the mega auction in 2025. As franchises aim to construct new teams with a young core, the decision-making process regarding leadership becomes intriguing, especially with Rohit Sharma, India’s ODI and Test captain and the franchise’s biggest icon with five titles.
Insiders hinted that Pandya, after two years with the Titans, desired a return to the franchise where he made a name and played seven seasons. The allure of captaining IPL’s most popular franchise, backed by the largest fan base, and the opportunity to bolster his brand as a national skipper in one of the formats were additional factors influencing his decision.
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