India's T20I captain Hardik Pandya is at the centre of the biggest trading news ahead of this year's Indian Premier League auction.
The Gujarat Titans skipper could be on his way out, being linked with a potential return to Mumbai Indians.
With Mumbai Indians refusing to comment on the development, one will need to wait till November 26, the closing day for IPL's trading window.
Pandya played seven IPL seasons for Mumbai before being released prior to the 2022 season. After joining Gujarat Titans, he led the side to back-to-back finals, winning them the trophy in their debut season.
"Hardik has been in talks with Mumbai Indians since the last IPL got over.
"Hardik and MI reached the decision a couple of months before the World Cup. It is up to the two franchises to firm up the modalities and formalize the deal. An announcement will be made only after that," a BCCI source told the Times of India.
Meanwhile, an IPL source tracking developments in Gujarat Titans said: "Yes, I can confirm that there has been talks of Hardik going to MI. There remains a chance that he might switch sides, but at this moment, nothing more can be confirmed as of now as the deal is yet to be signed."
Since trading involves swapping of players, it is still not clear who could switch over to the Titans if Pandya returns to the Mumbai Indians fold.
There is no confirmation yet from Mumbai Indians whether they have decided to release their Rs 8 crore mega buy Jofra Archer, who has been injured for the better part of the last two seasons.
With the IPL Governing Council increasing the purse by an additional Rs 5 crore, Mumbai Indians go into the mini-auction with Rs 5.50 crore (up from the existing Rs 50 lakh purse) unless they release some of their big buys to swell the reserve money.
If Pandya finally signs up for Mumbai Indians on dotted lines, the big question remains is whether he is going to play under the iconic Rohit Sharma, who has led the side to five trophies and is in prime form.
These are questions that remain unanswered for no; the picture will only be clear once the BCCI officially announces the final trading list.
