Hardik Pandya’s transfer to the Mumbai Indians has been done smoothly. The 30-year-old all-rounder has officially returned to the organisation where he won four titles in a notable one-way, all-cash move.
Simultaneously, the Mumbai Indians have strengthened their financial position in order to fund the Pandya acquisition by transferring Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore in an all-cash deal of INR 17.5 crore, the league value of the Australian all-rounder.
This financial manoeuvre not only expedites the Pandya deal with Gujarat Titans, but also provides the five-time champions with significant cash for the forthcoming IPL 2024 auction, which will take place in Dubai on December 19.
Cricbuzz can reveal that all three franchises – Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, and Royal Challengers Bangalore – have signed an agreement. The agreements were signed on Sunday (November 26), the final day for IPL 2024 releases and retentions. There is no third party engaged in the MI-GT transfer, and the same is true for the MI-RCB arrangement.
According to BCCI and IPL insiders, these cash-only trades have received formal sanction. While the exact pricing of the trade is unknown, it is worth noting that Pandya’s league fee for the year is INR 15 crore.
As the retention deadline expired at 5 p.m. IST on Sunday, the execution of these trades took some dramatic twists and turns. Pandya and Green were both listed as retained players by their original franchises, Gujarat and Mumbai, respectively. The transfers, however, were carried out after the retention deadline had gone.
According to Cricbuzz, the trading window is open until one week before the auction, and trades can be executed until December 12. However, all three franchises completed the transfer late Sunday evening. The teams and the BCCI are anticipated to make official announcements about these transactions soon.
