Despite Gujarat Titans‘ efforts to cope with the departure of Hardik Pandya, Colonel Arvinder Singh, the franchise’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), asserts that another IPL team reached out directly to their key fast bowler, Mohammed Shami.
Hardik Pandya, who captained GT in the initial two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was initially retained by the Titans when the retention list was revealed. However, shortly thereafter, there were reports indicating that the all-rounder had been traded to Mumbai Indians (MI). The trade was officially confirmed a day later.
In a recent interview with News18, Colonel Arvinder Singh, the Chief Operating Officer of Gujarat Titans, revealed that another IPL franchise approached Mohammed Shami. Expressing dissatisfaction with teams directly contacting players, Singh commented, as quoted by NDTV:
“Every franchise has the right to go for top players. The wrong part is that if an IPL franchise directly approaches a player. The method is wrong and the GT team management is not happy with the approach.”
”The BCCI’s rule regarding player trade-odds, how the expression of interest cane be made to BCCI and then they will inform us. Then the franchise decides.”
“This IPL team approached our coaching staff which is wrong. If they wanted the transfer, they could have talked to us upfront. We got to know about the approach later on,” he went on to add.
Shami delivered an outstanding performance in the IPL 2023 season, securing 28 wickets in 17 matches with an average of 18.64 and an economy rate of 8.03.
Gujarat Titans Team Director Vikram Solanki verified Pandya’s desire to return to Mumbai Indians (MI)
Previously, Vikram Solanki, the Team Director of Gujarat Titans, acknowledged that Pandya had indicated his wish to be traded back to Mumbai Indians, his initial IPL franchise. In an official statement regarding the trade, Solanki commended the all-rounder, stating:
“As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one 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,” the former England cricketer added.
Pandya played a crucial role in the Gujarat Titans franchise, debuting in the IPL in the 2022 season. As the leader, he guided the team to win the title in its inaugural season in the T20 league. During Pandya’s captaincy, Gujarat secured the runner-up position in IPL 2023, losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final.
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