Mumbai Indians’ speculation with regard to Hardik Pandya’s future has increased further, as a new report suggests the all-rounder was considering joining his former team Gujarat Titans for the upcoming IPL 2027 season.
The report also revealed that Gujarat were keen to sign Hardik and discussed about bringing him back even with the current skipper Shubman Gill. But it was alleged that negotiations broke down as Hardik insisted that he should be appointed as the captain or not to join the franchise.
The report said the Gujarat were willing to explore the possibility of the deal and had spoken to Gill who too was apparently happy to return Hardik. The real sticking point was the need for the captaincy, though. Hardik came back to take over and led with great success and earned his stripes in Gujarat.
Hardik joined Gujarat Titans for their very first season of the IPL-2022 and was instantly made the captain. As their head coach Ashish Nehra, he guided the team to win the IPL in their maiden season in the tournament.
Gujarat got a rare second trip to the final when Hardik returned – albeit in a major role – in December of 2023 as part of a spectacular transfer window deal with Mumbai Indians.
He then got some more time with the team and became the captain of MI following Rohit Sharma. But his form as Mumbai skipper doesn’t look the same as what he did at Gujarat.
Mumbai have made a one-off playoff appearance in the past three seasons and the stats of Hardik have also come down. His strike rate never exceeded 150 and he along with a career-best 29 wickets managed an average below 25 in just three seasons, but still scored less than 225 runs each year.
Why Gujarat Said No
Hardik would have been able to reunite with old friends like Nehra and Gill, with whom he played the first two seasons of the franchise.
But giving the captaincy back to Hardik would have been tricky, especially with Gill making an impact as the Test and ODI skipper of India.
The leadership dispute and subsequent trade failure has ramped up one of the most discussed topics leading into IPL 2027 – what Hardik will do at Mumbai Indians.