Following Hardik Pandya’s decision to return to the Mumbai Indians, the Gujarat Titans named Shubman Gill as their captain for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Monday. Along with a substantial, undisclosed transfer fee—a portion of which will also go to the cricketer—the Gujarat Titans will receive Rs 15 crore from MI as part of the all-cash trade agreement. After it was confirmed that Pandya would not be returning, Gill, a 24-year-old opener, was the obvious choice to be captain. He had earned the coveted “orange cap” the previous season with 890 runs, which was only surpassed by Virat Kohli’s 973 career total. “I thank the Gujarat Titans for putting their trust in me to lead such a great team. I am thrilled and proud to take over as captain. We’ve had two fantastic seasons, and I’m excited to lead the team in our thrilling style of cricket,” a statement from Gill read.
Pandya, for his part, vented his feelings on ‘X,’ the former Twitter.
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“It reminds me of so many amazing times. Mumbai. Wankhede. Paltan. It feels good to be back,” Pandya said in reference to “X” in a video that showed the Mumbai Indians his whole journey.
Vikram Solanki, the director of the GT Team, recognized Pandya’s role in the group’s accomplishments over the previous two seasons.
“As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one IPL championship and one appearance in the final,” Solanki was reported to have said in a statement.
He now says he wants to play for his old team, the Mumbai Indians. The former England batter went on, “We respect his decision and wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.
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Having collaborated closely with Gill, Solanki attested to his maturity.
“Over the past two years, Shubman Gill has demonstrated growth in stature and standing at the highest level of the game. In cricket, we’ve seen him develop as a leader as well as a batter,” Solanki said.
“His maturity and skill is evident in his on-field performance and we are extremely excited to embark on a new journey with a young leader like Shubman at the helm,” the head of the GT think-tank stated.
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Happy to have Hardik back, the MI owners say
Pandya’s return was described as a “happy homecoming” by both Nita and Akash Ambani, the owners of the Mumbai Indians.
“We are overjoyed to have Hardik return home! We are thrilled to be reunited with our Mumbai Indian family! Hardik has come a long way from being a young Mumbai Indians scouted talent to now being a star for team India, and we’re excited for what the future holds for him and Mumbai Indians,” Mrs Ambani said.
The all-arounder adds balance to any team, as her son Akash mentioned. It’s a joyous reunion. Any team he plays for benefits greatly from his balance. We hope Hardik has even greater success in his second stint with the MI family, as his first was very successful “said Ambani junior.
