Hardik Pandya, New MI Captain, May Miss IPL 2024 Due To Injury: Sources

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya could miss the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to an ankle injury, NDTV sources confirmed on Saturday. This comes after Hardik was traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL players auction. The players was initially named in the retention list by GT, but was traded to MI ahead of the auction as part of an all-cash deal. NDTV sources have confirmed that Hardik will miss the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, while his participation in the upcoming season of IPL remains a doubt.

Hardik has been out of action since injuring his ankle during a World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune.

Soon after announcing Hardik's trade from GT, MI announced that the all-rounder will lead the franchise in the upcoming season of IPL, replacing long-serving captain Rohit Sharma.

Pandya had played seven seasons of IPL for Mumbai before being released prior to the 2022 season. After joining Gujarat Titans, Pandya led the side to back-to-back IPL finals, including earning them the trophy in their debut season.

Hardik missed the recently concluded white-ball leg of the South Africa tour, as well as the T20I series against Australia. In his absence, Suryakumar led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia, while the T20I series ended in a draw.

If true, the latest development could be a huge blow for both Team India and MI.

During the IPL auction, MI bought South Africa pacer Gerald Coetzee as their first buy. Coetzee, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, went to MI for Rs 5 crore after bidding wars with RCB and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). 

MI further strengthened their pace battery with the addition of Sri Lankan pacers Dilshan Madushanka and Nuwan Thushara. MI also waited until the accelerator round to rope in Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi at his base price.

MI Retained players

Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd (from LSG), Hardik Pandya (C)

MI players bought at IPL 2024 auction

Gerald Coetzee (Rs. 5 crore), Dilshan Madushanka (Rs. 4.60 crore), Shreyas Gopal (Rs. 20 lakh), Nuwan Thushara (Rs. 4.80 crore), Naman Dhir (Rs. 20 lakh), Anshul Kamboj (Rs. 20 lakh), Mohammad Nabi (Rs. 1.5 crore), Shivalik Sharma (Rs. 20 lakh)