Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], March 22 (ANI): Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya reunited with his old Gujarat Titans (GT) teammates during a practice session here before the campaign opening clash between both sides on Sunday.
The fixture has gained a lot of hype because of star all-rounder Pandya's move to his former franchise, MI, following two great seasons with GT. Shubman Gill has taken over the captaincy of GT.
In a video posted by GT's X (formerly Twitter) handle, Pandya was seen hugging and bonding with GT head coach Ashish Nehra, skipper Gill and their hard-hitting finisher Rahul Tewatia.
"GOOD VIBES ONLY #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians | @HardikPandya7," tweeted MI.
In November last year, Pandya moved back from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise as part of a trade between both franchises. The star all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign in the cash-rich league with aplomb. In GT's debut season in 2022, Hardik got them off to a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy.
In 31 matches for GT, Pandya scored 833 runs at an average of 37.86 and a strike rate of over 133, with six half-centuries and a best score of 87*. He also took 11 wickets for the team, with the best figures of 3/17.
Pandya also played 92 matches for MI from 2015-2021, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33 at a strike rate of over 153, with four half-centuries and best score of 91. He also took 42 wickets for the team, with the best bowling figures of 3/20. Pandya has won five IPL trophies, four with MI (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and GT (2022).
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) started on Friday, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clashing with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena--MA Chidambaram Stadium. (ANI)
