AB de Villiers expressed his excitement about Hardik Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans. He believes Hardik has made significant contributions at Gujarat Titans and sees this move as a fitting transition for him before IPL 2024.
Mumbai Indians will reportedly pay INR 15 crore to Titans for securing Hardik, who spent seven seasons with the five-time champions and was part of four title-winning campaigns. Gujarat Titans signed Pandya for INR 15 crore after his release by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2022 mega auction.
De Villiers finds the news of Hardik’s return to Mumbai Indians big and exciting, noting Hardik’s affinity for playing at the Wankhede Stadium over the years.
“It is a big and exciting news. Hardik thought his time was over at GT, having won the title in their maiden season. He likes to play at the Wankhede Stadium and was there for several years,” said former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter.
In addition, ABD predicts that Hardik may take up the leadership role at Mumbai Indians, considering the workload on Rohit Sharma as Team India’s captain. He suggests this move could potentially ease some of the captaincy pressure from Rohit’s shoulders.
“Rohit is carrying a lot of weight as far as captaincy is concerned. He leads India in international cricket, and I feel Hardik will take up the leadership role at MI to ease some pressure from Rohit’s shoulders,” he added.
