Hardik Pandya's debut season as the Mumbai Indians' (MI) skipper earlier this year in the Indian Premier League (IPL) didn't go according to the script. In fact, it turned out to be one of MI's worst seasons, finishing at the bottom of the table. On top of that, he faced the ire of unhappy fans, who did not concur with the franchise's decision to replace Rohit with Hardik as captain. But after being retained by MI on Thursday, the all-rounder has promised to "come in all guns blazing" with a spirit of "brotherhood and friendship".
Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma are the five capped players retained by MI before the mega auction later this month.
Hardik, who returned to MI ahead of the 2024 season after leading Gujarat Titans for two years, said he hopes to repeat the success the team has had over the years to become one of the most successful franchises, which included five title triumphs.
"Everything that I've achieved in my life has been part of Mumbai Indians. We remember, as a group, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, all our fans know what happened in those years. We are going to come back in 2025 even stronger than that," Hardik said in his first reaction after being retained.
MI have retained Bumrah for Rs 18 crore, Surya for Rs 16.35 crore, Hardik for Rs 16.35 crore, Rohit for Rs 16.30 crore and Tilak Varma for Rs 8 crore. This leaves the owners with Rs 45 crore in their purse for the auction.
The 31-year-old MI captain promised that the team will strike together as a unit in its effort to turn things around in the 2025 edition of the tournament.
"We are five people (retained players) who have cherished a lot of good memories together. We are one. We are five fingers but one fist. That's how I look at it," said Hardik.
"We are going to come in all guns blazing, with brotherhood, friendship and at the same point of time we are going to back each other no matter what happens."
