IPL 2024: "I never.." Ashish Nehra breaks silence for first time after Hardik Pandya leaving GT

The duo of Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya helped GT reach two IPL finals before Hardik left the team.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Gujarat Titans’ (GT) head coach Ashish Nehra broke silence on the departure of former captain Hardik Pandya from the franchise. The Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya moved back to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in an all-cash trade deal before the mini-auction that took place in December, 2023.

After re-joining MI, Hardik was named as the new skipper replacing the franchise’s most successful captain Rohit Sharma, who won a record five championships during his leadership tenure.

Hardik had joined GT in the 2022 edition in the pre-auction draft after being released by the five-time champions MI. The all-rounder became part of the Mumbai-based franchise during IPL 2015 auction and played a crucial role in MI’s title triumphs in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2020 before being left out by the team.

In the IPL 2022, Hardik emerged victorious as he led the Gujarat-based franchise to title victory in their debut season. In the 2023 season of the IPL, Pandya helped the Titans reach the final before leaving the franchise.

I never tried to convince Hardik to stay back: Ashish Nehra opens up on former Gujarat Titans captain

Ahead of the IPL 2024, GT head coach Ashish Nehra expressed his thoughts on Hardik’s exit from the team and stated that he didn’t try to convince the former captain to stay with them.

“I never tried to convince Hardik to stay back. The way this sport is moving, we will see more such transfers like it happens in soccer’s international club market,” Ashish Nehra said to PTI.

Meanwhile, five-time champions MI have kicked-off their training for the upcoming showpiece event. Pandya-led MI will lock horns with Shubman Gill-led GT in their campaign opener at the Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on 24th March.

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