Hardik Pandya to feature in DY Patil T20 tournament later this month

What's the story?

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been on the sidelines because of a back injury, is set to return to action later this month. He is expected to take part in the DY Patil T20 tournament, where he will be representing a Reliance outfit.

The background

Pandya has been out of action since September 2019 due to fitness issues but was supposed to make his return for India A in the unofficial series against New Zealand. BCCI named him in the one-day squad, however, he was pulled out at the last moment. The Baroda-born star was seen bowling in the nets during the ODI series against Australia last month.

Back training with the team ✌ Missed this amazing feeling 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/S9m9f8p6nT

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) January 13, 2020

He was supposed to make it to the Indian Test squad for the ICC World Test Championship series versus New Zealand but was not cleared fit to play.

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The heart of the matter

Hardik Pandya is undergoing a rehabilitation programme at the NCA

While Pandya is trying to get back to full fitness at the moment, a report in the Mid-Day states that the all-rounder will feature in the DY Patil T20 tournament. The Mumbai Indians star had been a part of this tournament earlier as well. He, along with Rishabh Pant, played for Reliance 1 in the 2017 edition of the competition. Even Yuvraj Singh had taken part in the tournament last year.

In case someone didn't know, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai has been organizing this tournament every year since 2005, and it is one of India's oldest T20 competitions.

What's next?

It will be intriguing to see how Pandya performs upon his return. As far as his return to international cricket is concerned, Pandya may come back for India's ODI series against South Africa in March. Also, he will play in IPL 2020 for the defending champions Mumbai Indians.