Krunal Pandya ecstatic on his return to Mumbai Indians

Krunal Pandya, who is still widely remembered for his crucial innings of 47-runs in the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 final for the Mumbai Indians was retained by the franchise for the upcoming edition. Krunal’s impetus propelled the Rohit Sharma-led side to a record third IPL victory. And the team management decided to repay the faith by retaining the 26-year-old for IPL 11.

Mumbai Indians used its Right to Match Card to retain the services of Krunal Pandya for a whopping Rs 8.8 crore. This shows that the intent of MI was clear since the beginning. There will now be a lot of expectations on Krunal but he is ready to shoulder all the responsibilities and the possible pressure on him.

Although there were certain tense moments prior to his auction, Krunal was confident where he wanted to play. The all-rounder, who started his IPL career with MI, always had a soft spot for the franchise. It had given him the platform and exposure and all Krunal wants is to return and make an even bigger impact this season for MI.

In an exclusive article published by the Mumbai Indians on their official website, Krunal revealed certain insight of his journey ever since his foray and looked absolutely ecstatic on his return.

He said, “I was quite confident that Mumbai Indians will pick me. I wanted to play for MI since I started my journey here itself. I’ve said this previously that Mumbai Indians is my dream team, my favorite team, even when I was not playing in the IPL. So, for me, playing for Mumbai Indians means a lot. There are so many things Mumbai Indians has given me and taught me as a player.”

Krunal, one of the most promising prospects of Mumbai Indians

In 2016, Krunal was one of the brightest prospects of the IPL and in the final last year, he went on to become the Man of the Match for the Mumbai outfit. He concluded the season with 10 scalps, at an economy of 6.82. Not just that, the dynamic all-rounder even scored 243 runs with an impressive strike rate of 136.

He has been instrumental for MI in the last two seasons and will be joining ranks with his elder brother and India international, Hardik Pandya. Krunal’s re-entry into the team means that the Pandya brothers will be playing together once again.