New Delhi: Indian cricket’s latest sensation Hardik Pandya is keen to be drafted in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction pool. According to the Times of India report, Pandya has informed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his choice. However, Mumbai Indians are also keen to retain him ahead of the 11th edition of IPL.
Interestingly, in 2015 Mumbai Indians had signed Pandya for just Rs 10 lakh. His fee was doubled to Rs 20 lakh following his India debut. Given Pandya’s success in IPL and International cricket, it is obvious most of the IPL franchises will be ready to shell out huge money for the all-rounder and that is why he wants to go to the auction pool.
BCCI is set to meet IPL team owners to discuss the retention policy and it is likely each franchise will be allowed to retain three players. So Mumbai Indians will be looking to retain Pandya apart from captain Rohit Sharma. And to compensate Pandya, MI will have to empty their purse by a larger amount.
“Hardik wants to be at the auction and the rule says that if he isn’t ready to play for Mumbai Indians, he can certainly be at the auction,” a top board official was quoted as saying in the report.
“Pandya could be the next big thing in the IPL if he is at the auction. After all, the teams will retain big India players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma,” sources said.
