The long episode of Hardik Pandya’s trade saga has finally come to an end as a deal has been agreed to make him return to the Mumbai Indians (MI) from the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
The rumors of the trade had initially rocked the cricketing world and the confusion only increased further when Hardik was named in GT’s retentions. However, with the trade window still open, MI traded Cameron Green to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and welcomed Hardik back to where it all began for the all-rounder.
There have naturally been mixed reactions to this whole saga and some cricket experts have spoken out quite openly about what they felt about the Hardik Pandya trade. Here are five such reactions:
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was a bit baffled with Hardik’s desire to come back to the Mumbai Indians. He believes the all-rounder left the franchise back in 2021 because he wanted to be the captain.
Here’s what he said in a video on his YouTube channel:
With Hardik likely to lead India in the T20 World Cup, Chopra couldn’t understand why the all-rounder wouldn’t want to remain the captain and not play under Rohit Sharma.
Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody, on the other hand, was impressed with the way Mumbai swooped in to complete the trade of Hardik Pandya. He shed light on how MI ensured they traded Cameron Green and got extra funds to go and build their team further in the auction.
Here’s what Moody posted on X:
GT have announced Shubman Gill as their captain after Hardik Pandya’s departure ahead of IPL 2024.
Former Indian chief selector and World Cup winner K Srikkanth believes Mumbai Indians have hit a jackpot by bringing Hardik Pandya back to their ranks ahead of IPL 2024.
Srikkanth also rubbished rumors of Rohit Sharma leaving the franchise due to Hardik Pandya’s return as he feels the transition will be a smooth one, with the all-rounder as the next MI skipper.
Here’s what he said on his YouTube channel:
Srikkanth cited the example of how the bond between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli ensured a smooth leadership transition in the Indian team and expects MI to do the same.
Ravichandran Ashwin believes MI have pulled off a masterstroke by getting Hardik Pandya in their ranks. Ashwin also hailed the fact that MI didn’t give GT any player in return and were smart enough to do an all-cash deal.
Here’s what he said in a video on his Instagram account:
Ashwin himself was a captain who was traded from Kings XI Punjab to the Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2020.
AB de Villiers believes MI will announce Hardik Pandya as their captain and that Rohit Sharma will happily play under him as a pure batter. With Rohit still being the official all-format captain for Team India, De Villiers feels Hardik taking over the mantle at MI will only help the veteran opener play freely.
Here’s what the legendary South African cricketer had to say in a live video on his YouTube channel:
De Villiers feels Pandya just wanted another new challenge and perhaps that’s why he was ready to leave GT.
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