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Cricket PlayersHardik Pandya wanted Gujarat Titans return but captaincy demand killed blockbuster IPL trade move: Report
A return to Gujarat would have reunited Hardik with familiar faces, including Nehra and Gill, who played under him during the franchise's first two seasons.
Speculation surrounding Hardik Pandya's future at Mumbai Indians and a potential trade ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction intensified on Wednesday after a fresh report claimed that the MI captain had approached his former franchise, Gujarat Titans, over a possible return. However, the move reportedly fell through after Hardik made it a condition that he be reinstated as captain.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Gujarat Titans were open to bringing Hardik back and had even discussed the possibility with their current captain, Shubman Gill. The franchise was reportedly willing to consider the trade, and Gill was also said to have agreed to Hardik's return. But the captaincy demand proved to be the sticking point.
“The franchise was fine with him making a return. They had even discussed the same with their captain, Shubman Gill, and he, too, had agreed that the franchise could trade him back. But when his condition of captaincy was put up, everyone said no to it,” a source was quoted as saying.
Hardik joined Gujarat Titans ahead of their inaugural IPL season in 2022 and was immediately appointed captain. Under his leadership, and with Ashish Nehra as head coach, Gujarat won the title in their debut campaign. They reached the final again the following season before Hardik made a shock return to the Mumbai Indians in December 2023.
He was handed the MI captaincy as the franchise moved on from Rohit Sharma. However, Hardik has been unable to reproduce the success he enjoyed in Gujarat. Mumbai have made the playoffs only once in the last three seasons, while Hardik's individual returns have also been underwhelming. He scored fewer than 225 runs at an average below 25 in each of those seasons, although his strike rate remained close to 150 and he contributed 29 wickets.
A return to Gujarat would have reunited Hardik with familiar faces, including Nehra and Gill, who played under him during the franchise's first two seasons. But the reported captaincy condition would have been particularly difficult for Gujarat to accept with Gill now India's Test and ODI captain.
A Gujarat Titans representative declined to comment on the report.
Hardik's camp, meanwhile, denied that the all-rounder had directly approached any franchise regarding a trade.
“Hardik Pandya had no direct conversation with any franchise whatsoever regarding transfer trade, or otherwise. If any approach has been made to him, that has been directed to the MI franchise,” his spokesperson said.
The development comes amid weeks of speculation over Hardik's future at Mumbai Indians. The Indian Express had previously reported that the franchise was not keen on retaining him as captain and was even evaluating his future as a player following a disappointing 2026 campaign.
Mumbai lost 10 of their 14 matches, finished ninth in the table and extended their title drought to six years.
Cricbuzz had also reported on Monday that Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings were among the franchises believed to be interested in acquiring Hardik. Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals have also been linked with the all-rounder, although those reports remain unconfirmed.
