(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] In a shocking report, it is being anticipated that the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya could return to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As per a News18 report, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans are contemplating a trade between Jofra Archer and Pandya.
“It is also possible that MI may request Hardik to fill in for Archer’s position and wait for a year before taking over as captain by replacing Rohit,” a News18 report informed.
Pandya’s willingness to captain Mumbai Indians was reported as a reason for his release as the franchise was not ready to take away the leadership from Rohit Sharma, who has led the team to five IPL titles. But as MI have not performed well in the last few seasons, they could be considering the option of making Pandya the skipper as he has taken Gujarat Titans to a trophy and a final in his captaincy tenure.
As for Archer, MI bought him in the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 8 crore despite being aware of the fact that he would not be available to play thay year due to an elbow injury. The move did not work well as Archer could only play five matches in IPL 2023 as his fitness again showed concerns.
Archer is still under the rehabilitation process, while Pandya too injured his ankle in the World Cup 2023 and is only expected to get fit near the start of IPL 2024.
Notably, the trade window will close on November 26. This is will be followed by an auction, which is scheduled on December 19 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.