Hardik Pandya to quit Mumbai Indians, expected to appear in IPL 2018 player auction

Hardik Pandya has played for Mumbai Indians in the previous three seasons, he was at his best in the previous season with his all-round skills

By: Score Keepers |
October 28, 2017 3:46 pm

Hardik Pandya has been dubbed as the next ‘big thing’ of Indian cricket. Pandya has been with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians from the start of his career. Though it looks like he will be quitting the MI side ahead of the IPL 2018 player auction. If this happens, then Pandya might break the records and become the highest paid IPL player in the history of the league. MI got the youngster for a mere Rs 10 lakhs for his services in 2015. However, it is yet to be decided whether the franchises will be able to retain players or not. All the details related to the purse of franchises to the number of players who can be retained will be decided in a meeting to be held on November 14.

According to a report from Times of India, Pandya has expressed his desire to be in the auction for next year. “Hardik wants to be at the auction and the rule says that if he isn’t ready to play for Mumbai Indians, he can certainly be at the auction,” a top board official told TOI.

“Pandya could be the next big thing in the IPL if he is at the auction. After all, the teams will retain big India players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma,” sources said.

If Hardik enters the IPL 2018 player auction, he will be bidded upon by almost every franchise. The all-rounder has been lethal with the bat in the previous season. He has developed a knack of hitting the spinners out of the park with ease. Also, his ability with the ball has improved drastically and can be an asset to any team who succeed in signing him.

There have been speculations that Pandya can be roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2018 player auction. RCB franchise have been known to bid big for a certain player. Pandya’s auction can cause ripple and might go down as the most expensive deal in the history of cricket leagues across the globe.