Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to the Hardik Pandya IPL trade saga ft. AB de Villiers

The long episode of Hardik Pandya's trade saga has finally come to an end as a deal has been agreed to make him return to the Mumbai Indians (MI) from the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.

The rumors of the trade had initially rocked the cricketing world and the confusion only increased further when Hardik was named in GT's retentions. However, with the trade window still open, MI traded Cameron Green to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and welcomed Hardik back to where it all began for the all-rounder.

There have naturally been mixed reactions to this whole saga and some cricket experts have spoken out quite openly about what they felt about the Hardik Pandya trade. Here are five such reactions:

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#5 Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was a bit baffled with Hardik's desire to come back to the Mumbai Indians. He believes the all-rounder left the franchise back in 2021 because he wanted to be the captain.

Here's what he said in a video on his YouTube channel:

"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.

"It doesn't look right whether you look from optics or any other angle, that you are not your franchise's captain but are India's captain in the T20 World Cup. It doesn't sound right but so be it."

With Hardik likely to lead India in the T20 World Cup, Chopra couldn't understand why the all-rounder wouldn't want to remain the captain and not play under Rohit Sharma.

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#4 Tom Moody

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody, on the other hand, was impressed with the way Mumbai swooped in to complete the trade of Hardik Pandya. He shed light on how MI ensured they traded Cameron Green and got extra funds to go and build their team further in the auction.

Here's what Moody posted on X:

"Last minute trade for Mumbai Indians allows them to secure @hardikpandya7, master stoke. Green going to @RCBTweets frees up the cash to secure the dream trade. Out of the 3 franchises involved feel Titans have come off the worst. #IPLretention"

GT have announced Shubman Gill as their captain after Hardik Pandya's departure ahead of IPL 2024.

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#3 K Srikkanth

Former Indian chief selector and World Cup winner K Srikkanth believes Mumbai Indians have hit a jackpot by bringing Hardik Pandya back to their ranks ahead of IPL 2024.

Srikkanth also rubbished rumors of Rohit Sharma leaving the franchise due to Hardik Pandya's return as he feels the transition will be a smooth one, with the all-rounder as the next MI skipper.

Here's what he said on his YouTube channel:

"At the end of the day, Rohit and Hardik share a wonderful relationship. Obviously, they will make Hardik Pandya the captain. Rohit Sharma will be a key figure and ensure a smooth transition. You need a smooth transition to avoid hiccups in the team."

Srikkanth cited the example of how the bond between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli ensured a smooth leadership transition in the Indian team and expects MI to do the same.

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#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin believes MI have pulled off a masterstroke by getting Hardik Pandya in their ranks. Ashwin also hailed the fact that MI didn't give GT any player in return and were smart enough to do an all-cash deal.

Here's what he said in a video on his Instagram account:

"If it's true Mumbai Indians have struck gold. So if it's true and it's a complete cash deal from whatever I read. There's no player that Mumbai is giving, Mumbai Indians have never given players on trade. I don't think it has happened ever. But how does that XI look like if Hardik goes back who's an MI grown player."

Ashwin himself was a captain who was traded from Kings XI Punjab to the Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2020.

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#1 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers believes MI will announce Hardik Pandya as their captain and that Rohit Sharma will happily play under him as a pure batter. With Rohit still being the official all-format captain for Team India, De Villiers feels Hardik taking over the mantle at MI will only help the veteran opener play freely.

Here's what the legendary South African cricketer had to say in a live video on his YouTube channel:

"I have a funny feeling Rohit is going to let him (Hardik) captain. Rohit carries a lot of pressure of captaining Team India. Maybe that is going to be the move. It's a big news for Mumbai Indians. He (Hardik) was a big player for Mumbai for many years. He loved playing at the Wankhede Stadium."

De Villiers feels Pandya just wanted another new challenge and perhaps that's why he was ready to leave GT.