Mumbai: Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has concluded his two-year stint with the Gujarat Titans to make a sensational return to his former IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians. The official IPL handle confirmed the news of Hardik rejoining MI on Monday (November 27).
Hardik, who made his IPL debut with the Mumbai Indians in 2015 at the age of 21, left the Rohit Sharma-led side after not being retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. He joined the Gujarat Titans for Rs. 15 crore and was appointed the captain of the franchise. In his two-year association with GT, Hardik led the team to the IPL title in 2022 and finished as the runner-up in 2023.
After completing his move back to the Mumbai Indians, where he played in 92 matches during his first stint from 2015 to 2021, he shared a video of his first-ever IPL auction, in which he was signed by MI for Rs. 10 lakh. He captioned the video, saying, "This brings back so many wonderful memories. Mumbai. Wankhede. Paltan. Feels good to be back. #OneFamily @mipaltan."
Mumbai Indians welcomed the return of Pandya with a picture of him and captioned it as "HARDIK is HOME."
Speaking about Hardik's return to the franchise after two years, team owner Nita Ambani said, "We are thrilled to welcome Hardik back home! It’s a heartwarming reunion with our Mumbai Indians family! From being a young scouted talent of Mumbai Indians to now being a Team India star, Hardik has come a long way, and we’re excited for what the future holds for him and the Mumbai Indians."
Nita's son, Akash Ambani, expressed his happiness, stating, “Seeing Hardik back at the Mumbai Indians makes me very happy. It is a happy homecoming. He provides great balance to any team he plays for. Hardik’s first stint with the MI family was hugely successful, and we hope he achieves even more success in his second stint.”
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