Mumbai Indians did not retain Hardik Pandya ahead of IPL 2022 and it was probably the most heartbreaking farewell of the year alongside that of Suresh Raina. He was one of the key players that led Mumbai Indians to winning their last 3 IPL trophies but he sadly has to depart as his recent form has not been much impressive.
The Indian allrounder shared an emotional reel regarding his journey with Mumbai Indians on his instagram account right after the retention was over and it is almost sure that he is not returning to Mumbai Indians as he will probably be drafted by one of the two newly built teams – Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
However, the competition for that too is set to be immense and we need to prepare in case Hardik Pandya makes his way to the auction and is not drafted. In that case, let us see 5 teams who will be interested to buy him in the auction.
- Mumbai Indians – As we earlier discussed, Hardik Pandya owed a lot of his career to Mumbai Indians as that was where he rose to fame. He instead gave his prime year to the club and led them to many trophies. Yes they could not retain him as they could retain only 4 players but they will surely love to go for him in case he makes it to the auctions.
- Ahmedabad Franchise – Hardik Pandya has a close relation with Gujarat as he was born in its city of Baroda. He can thus be called Gujarat’s own boy and it would thus be very fitting if he is bought by Ahmedabad Franchise. While it is not sure as to whether Ahmedabad will draft Hardik Pandya due to the availability of so many options, they will definitely go for him in the auction as the Ahmedabad fans will go bonkers if he indeed plays for them.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB have let go of all their allrounders and they are in dire need of one. With AB de Villiers having announced his retirement, they also need a finisher and Hardik Pandy can fill in all those gaps. We thus think that RCB will definitely love to bring Hardik Pandya to their setup.
- Chennai Super Kings – CSK might not need a finisher but we all know the kind of affection MS Dhoni has towards Hardik Pandya. If the allrounder makes his way to the auction, Dhoni might persuade the owners to buy Pandya and we all know that under the leadership of MS Dhoni, the youngster might just get the redemption that he needs in his career.
- Punjab Kings – With KL Rahul having left the club, Punjab Kings are in search of a new Star figure in their team and that is where Hardik Pandya steps in. He might be the ‘Big Player’ in the Punjab Kings team who will be great not only in their brand value but also in their strength as a team.