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Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians completed a sensational transfer deal ahead of the IPL 2024 player auction as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to his former franchise. With his return to the joint-record five-time IPL champions, the 30-year-old all-rounder is rumoured to become the captain of Mumbai Indians while star pacer Jasprit Bumrah shared a cryptic Instagram story, which many fans related to Pandya's captaincy rumours.
The 2022 IPL winners, Gujarat Titans announced on Monday that Hardik Pandya is leaving the franchise after two successful seasons with them in the IPL. During his time at the Titans, Pandya led the side to an IPL title in their inaugural season while they ended up as runners-up in the next season.
Amid Pandya's MI captaincy rumours, Jasprit Bumrah, who was the vice-captain of the franchise when he last played in the IPL, shared a cryptic post on his Instagram story. The 29-year-old wrote, "Silence is sometimes the best answer."
Vikram Solanki confirms it was Pandya's decision to return to MI
Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket, Vikram Solanki said, “As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one TATA IPL championship and one appearance in the final. He has now expressed a desire to return to his original team Mumbai Indians. We respect his decision and wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.”
While confirming his return to the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya took to his Instagram handle and wrote, "This brings back so many wonderful memories. Mumbai. Wankhede. Paltan. Feels good to be back. 💙"
With Pandya returning to his former franchise, Indian opener Shubman Gill was named the captain of the Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2024. Solanki stated, "Shubman Gill has shown growth in stature and standing over the last two years at the highest level of the game. We’ve seen him mature not only as a batter but also as a leader in cricket.
"His maturity and skill are 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."
