Hardik Pandya surprised many when he left Gujarat Titans to join Mumbai Indians. He had previously captained GT and led them to their first IPL title in 2022. Although the franchise made it to their second consecutive final in 2023, they lost to Chennai Super Kings. Hardik, who began his IPL career with MI, chose to rejoin his former team for IPL 2024. This decision is still a topic of discussion leading up to the 17th season of the tournament.
Ashish Nehra, head coach of Gujarat Titans, has commented on Hardik's unexpected departure from the franchise. Nehra also cautioned IPL teams to prepare for similar transfers in the future.
Hardik was not retained by Mumbai for the 2022 season and was instead signed by Gujarat Titans for Rs. 15 crore.
Nehra stated that he did not ask Hardik to stay back, as he knew he was returning to Mumbai Indians. However, Nehra mentioned that he would have convinced Hardik to remain with Gujarat if it had been any other team.
“I never tried to convince Pandya to remain with Gujarat Titans. I could have stopped him had he made a move to any other franchise. He was with us for two seasons but he has gone back to a team, where has played for 5-6 years.”
Nehra cautioned other franchises that cricket may soon adopt a transfer system similar to football, given the direction the sport is heading.
Mumbai Indians have replaced Rohit Sharma as captain with Hardik Pandya. MI's opening match against Gujarat Titans is scheduled for March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.