[Watch] Hardik Pandya gives fans a glimpse of his training ahead of IPL 2022 auction 

Team India's dynamic all-rounder Hardik Pandya was recently spotted toiling hard in the nets ahead of the highly anticipated Indian Premier League auction (IPL auction 2022).

The 28-year-old was last seen in action during the T20 World Cup 2021 and has been on the sidelines because of a prolonged back issue.

Much to fans' delight, the Baroda all-rounder was seen batting in the nets in a video shared by him on his social media handles.

He captioned it:

"Step by step. Putting in the hard yards 💪."

It is worth mentioning that the swashbuckling player is not part of India's squad for the South Africa ODIs. He also withdrew from the country's 50-over domestic tournament Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 to work on his fitness.

The lanky cricketer underwent back surgery in 2019 and has bowled sparingly in competitive cricket since then. He did not bowl a single ball in IPL 2021, while he delivered just four overs in the T20 World Cup 2021.

Hardik Pandya likely to play for a new franchise in IPL 2022

The flamboyant cricketer was surprisingly not retained by the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2022 player auction.

Considering his impactful performances in the cash-rich league over the years, he is likely to be on the radar of many teams for the upcoming season.

Pandya remained with the Mumbai team for seven years, in which he was successful in carving a niche for himself in the side's star-studded line-up. He took to his social media accounts to pen an emotional note after not being retained by the five-time champions.

Here's what he posted:

The champion cricketer has played in 92 matches in the IPL, in which he has amassed 1476 runs and has a magnificent strike rate of 153.9. He also has 42 wickets to his name in the flagship T20 competition.