The most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians (MI), having lifted the IPL trophy five times in 14 seasons of the cash-rich T20 league tournament, continue to stamp their authority over other franchises in the IPL.
Growing from strength to strength each season, the MI paltan has gone on to emboss their name as one of the forever favourites to win the coveted title on the back of their brilliant runs in the world’s most elite T20 competition.
Much of the due or acclaim goes to the meritorious performances from the nucleus of the side, who invariably form the core group of the team year in year out. The hierarchy of credit may start with skipper Rohit Sharma but it trickles down to the success story of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, with the Ambani family-owned franchise.
Pandya’s association with Mumbai dates back to the very beginning of his IPL career in the year 2015 when he was picked up for a meagre base price of Rs. 10 lakhs only by the five-time IPL champions in his debut IPL season.
Pandya went on to win 4 IPL titles with the Men in Blue and Gold in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 with the last two being successive triumphs for the franchise.
However, the 28-year-old bared his soul in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo where he talked about himself and a range of issues regarding his super success story and bonding with MI.
“Mumbai Indians have stood by me during my lows and highs. Recently when my dad passed away (In January 2021), Krunal and I got a letter from Mukesh Sir and Nita Ma’am, giving their condolences. For us it was very emotional. I started crying,” said Pandya.
