Reports: Hardik Pandya to make a comeback to Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024

In a noteworthy development for Indian cricket and IPL fans, it has been revealed that Hardik Pandya is poised to make a comeback to the Mumbai Indians team for this year's season, having previously captained the Gujarat Titans for two seasons.

According to a BCCI source, the talented all-rounder is being considered as a potential successor to Rohit Sharma in the Mumbai Indians squad and has been in discussions with the team since the end of the last IPL season.

Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans are currently working on finalising the deal, and an announcement will be made once the modalities are confirmed. Mumbai Indians will have to match Hardik's salary of Rs 15 crore, which may result in the release of some players, such as Jofra Archer. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans are searching for a suitable replacement for Hardik. 

“Hardik and MI reached the decision a couple of months before the World Cup. The Titans management and Hardik have had growing differences. It’s up to the two franchises to firm up the modalities and formalize the deal. An announcement will be made only after that,” a BCCI source told TOI.

Hardik's success as captain of the Titans has elevated his stock as a potential white-ball captain for India. Once the deal is finalized, he will return to his previous team, Mumbai Indians, who discovered and nurtured him into India's leading seam-bowling allrounder. 

Mumbai Indians are reportedly searching for a long-term captain, as Rohit Sharma is nearing the end of his career and has expressed his willingness to step down from T20I captaincy. The franchise invested heavily in Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav after releasing Hardik in 2022 but is still unsatisfied with their leadership skills.

In other news, Delhi Capitals have decided to release Sarfaraz Khan, Manish Pandey, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti for the upcoming season due to their underwhelming performances in the previous season. The franchise plans to buy fresh domestic talent at the auction to revamp their team.