IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya Likely To Lead Ahemdabad Team In IPL; Mumbai Indians May Drop Plans Of Signing Him!
Ahmedabad franchise is reportedly planning to sign Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as their skipper.
Days ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, new IPL franchise Ahmedabad has received the Letter of Intent (LOI) from the BCCI.
Now, according to the reports, the Ahmedabad franchise is planning to sign Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as their skipper. The recent report comes after it was reported that ex-India cricketer Ashish Nehra would be joining Ahmedabad as the head coach.
Ahmedabad's decision to sign Pandya is likely of great prominence for an Indian all-rounder who has missed a lot of international matches in the recent past due to injury.
Pandya's injury and long absence from international cricket are seen as the main reason why Mumbai Indians decided against retaining him. It may be recalled that Pandya was picked for the recently concluded T20 World Cup in UAE, reported DNA.
Pandya did not bowl much during the tournament and decided to not go on South Africa tour due to the injury.
On the other hand, a TOI report also suggested that Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan may also join the Ahmedabad franchise. The Afghani spinner has been in talks with both Ahmedabad and Lucknow for weeks now. The report also quoted a source saying that the Ahmedabad franchise is leading the race to sign the Indian spinner.
According to sources, the Ahmedabad franchise looks ahead of the race at the moment. Ishan Kishan is the preferred wicketkeeper.
The two new franchises will have to give three names (two Indians and one overseas) before the mega auction which is likely to be held in Bengaluru on Feb 11-12. The TOI report has also learnt that there is a chance that the IPL auctions may be pushed back due to the surge in Covid cases in the country.
Meanwhile, Team Lucknow, the other new IPL franchise, has already hired the services of ex-Zimbabwean batsman Andy Flower as their coach. Lucknow has also signed Gautam Gambhir as the mentor and it is likely that Lucknow would sign KL Rahul as their skipper.
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