Hardik Pandya in Mumbai Indians jersey.© X (formerly Twitter)
Mumbai Indians obtained Hardik Pandya through a significant cash deal with Gujarat Titans, marking one of the biggest trades in IPL history with a price tag of INR 15 crore. This amount was paid by GT when they acquired the player for the 2022 IPL season. The recent trade has left Mumbai Indians with a substantial sum, and it owes thanks to a crucial factor involving Royal Challengers Bangalore.
After announcing their list of retained players, Mumbai Indians had INR 15.25 crore remaining in their purse and 8 vacant spots in the squad. Acquiring Hardik from GT would have left them with just INR 25 lakh for the IPL 2023 auction.
However, the acquisition of Cameron Green from Mumbai Indians by RCB in an all-cash deal played a pivotal role in providing Mumbai Indians with the flexibility for the Hardik trade.
The transfer of Green significantly boosted Mumbai’s purse, leaving the franchise with a total of INR 17.75 crore despite securing Hardik.
Currently, Mumbai Indians have 17 players in their squad, one less than the minimum set by the IPL, and have the capacity to fill a maximum of 8 more players, with the option to buy a maximum of 2 overseas players from the available 8 slots.
It is worth mentioning that Hardik made his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in 2015.
Hardik played 92 matches for MI from 2015-2021, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33 and a strike rate of over 153, with four half-centuries and a best score of 91. He also took 42 wickets for the team, with the best bowling figures of 3/20.
(With ANI Inputs)
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