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India's premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya has returned to his old franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) after two years. MI brought him back after a successful all-cash trade with the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Hardik was an integral part of MI for years and played a huge role in their victorious IPL campaigns between 2015 and 2020. After he was not retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction, GT signed him with a paycheck of 15 crores.
Pandya lifted the trophy with the Titans in their maiden season and the side finished as runners-up earlier this year.
After enjoying two great seasons as a captain of Gujarat Titans, no one expected Hardik to move back to his old franchise. GT have now appointed Shubman Gill as the new captain for the upcoming season.
Fans were surprised after learning about MI's successful trade with GT, which helped the former re-sign Hardik Pandya. They expressed their views on the matter by sharing hilarious memes on social media.
Here are some of the best reactions:
"Gujarat would have gained financially but the team didn't gain at all" - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya's return to Mumbai Indians
Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra opined that Gujarat Titans might have achieved financial growth with Hardik Pandya's trade but felt their team did not gain anything.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
"Gujarat would have gained financially but the team didn't gain at all. A captain who won you the title in the first year and took you to the final in the second year is no longer a part of your squad. They might have thought something if they are doing that. It could be a business transaction or something else also."
On GT's potential plans for Pandya's replacement, Chopra added:
"They will go looking for who they can get as Hardik Pandya's replacement. Hardik Pandya was far more valuable before the Impact Player rule because no player had two skills."
Aakash Chopra concluded:
"The one thing that won't look good on Hardik's CV is that he left Mumbai because he wanted to become a captain. You went to Gujarat and then became the Indian captain. You will no longer be a franchise captain now but you still want to be India's captain - it doesn't sit right."
Do you agree with Aakash Chopra's views above? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
