A viral video on social media captures the moment when Hardik Pandya, the recently appointed captain of Mumbai Indians, is given a warm welcome at Reliance Industries in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Mumbai Indians is owned by Reliance Industries through its subsidiary Indiawin Sports.
Last month, Mumbai Indians traded all-rounder Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) in a deal that initially caused confusion. After the official confirmation, MI announced Pandya as their captain for the IPL 2024 season, replacing Rohit Sharma. This decision received mixed reactions, upsetting many Mumbai and Rohit fans.
A video is gaining popularity on social media, showing Pandya receiving a lavish welcome in Jamnagar, complete with horses and band music upon his arrival. The uploader, Kirpal Sinh, mentioned that the video is from December 19th.
You can watch the video below:
https://x.com/chauhankirpal11/status/1739873656745148752?s=46
In 2022, Pandya captained Gujarat Titans to triumph in their debut IPL season. They secured the runner-up position in 2023, losing to a formidable Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a thrilling final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
The 30-year-old had previously played for Mumbai Indians from 2015 to 2021 and was released before the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Pandya participated in 92 games for MI, achieving 1476 runs at an average of 27.33 and a strike rate of 153.91. In his role as a pace bowler, he secured 42 wickets with an average of 31.26 and an economy rate of 9.06.
Is Hardik Pandya expected to participate in IPL 2024?
Despite Mumbai Indians appointing Pandya as their captain for IPL 2024, conflicting reports about his availability for the upcoming T20 league have emerged.
According to a PTI report, Pandya might skip the Afghanistan T20I series at home in January and the IPL 2024. An anonymous BCCI source was quoted by PTI.
“There is no update on Hardik’s fitness status as of now and one can say there remains a big question mark of him being available before the end of IPL.”
Despite some saying Hardik Pandya might miss matches due to injury, another report suggests he’s recovered and will play in both the Afghanistan series and IPL 2024.
Hardik Pandya’s most recent appearance was in the 2023 World Cup league match against Bangladesh in Pune. He sustained an injury during the game while attempting to stop a ball in his follow-through.
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