The eagerly awaited trade of Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians has been accomplished. The 30-year-old all-rounder has formally returned to the team he won four titles with an impressive one-way, all-cash deal.
In a separate all-cash deal worth INR 17.5 crore, the Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore, strengthening the Mumbai Indians’ financial position to enable them to acquire Pandya.
This strategic financial move not only makes the Pandya deal with Gujarat Titans easier to finalize, but it also puts the five-time winners in a strong position for the December 19 IPL 2024 auction in Dubai.
The legal agreement between the three franchises—the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, and Royal Challengers Bangalore—has been confirmed with reliability by Cricbuzz. On Sunday, November 26, the final day for IPL 2024 releases and retentions, the deals were signed. There is no third party engaged in the MI-GT transfer, and the same is true of the MI-RCB agreement.
Insiders from the BCCI and IPL claim that these cash-only trades have official permission. It is notable that Pandya’s league fee for the year is INR 15 crore, even though the precise amount of the transaction is yet unknown.
When the retention deadline expired on Sunday at 5 PM IST, the execution of these trades took some unexpected turns. At first, Pandya and Green’s original teams, Gujarat and Mumbai, had them listed as retained players. However, the transfers were carried out after the retention period had ended.
Trades may be completed till December 12 during the trading window, which opens one week prior to the auction, as reported by Cricbuzz on Saturday. However, late on Sunday night, all three franchises completed the transfer. Regarding these transactions, official notifications from the BCCI and the franchises are anticipated shortly.