Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is indeed a product of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hardik joined the team in 2015 for a meager transfer fee of INR 10 lakh and has since emerged as one of the best all-rounders in the world. As the Vadodara-born cricketer embarks on a new career adventure as the captain of Mumbai Indians, he took to social media to share a passionate video highlighting the role of the T20 league in his career importance.

“In my tenth IPL season, I am grateful for the journey, grateful for the growth, grateful for everything I have been through and coming back with a team that has always been in my heart,” Hardik wrote in the post.

In my 10th IPL season, grateful for the journey, grateful for the growth, grateful for everything I have been through and coming back with a team that has always been in my heart pic.twitter.com/vNnT6XVefH

– Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 22, 2024

“IPL has given me everything. IPL has given me my identity. Otherwise, I would still be in Baroda, but not this Hardik. Other Hardiks would be there,” the MI captain said in the video.

The all-rounder will take over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians (MI) from five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy-winning captain Rohit Sharma in the 2024 season.

Pandya returned to his previous team from Gujarat Titans (GT) in November last year as part of a deal between the two teams. The all-round star spent two vital years with GT, leading their campaign in the cash-rich league with aplomb. In GT’s inaugural season in 2022, Hardik gave them a fairytale start as the team lifted the coveted trophy.

The heartwarming gesture between the two star players comes as fans of the two players are feuding on social media, accusing the team of betraying the five-time Indian Cricket League champion skipper despite his Contributions were made, but he was still removed from office. At the recent pre-season press conference organized by the team, Pandya did not answer when the media asked about the so-called “captaincy clause” in his MI contract.

Even head coach Mark Boucher remained silent when asked about the reasons for sacking Rohit as captain, fueling fan wars and rumors on social media.

With ANI input