Ahead of the mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, many teams had quite a hard time choosing which players to retain. One such team was Mumbai Indians (MI), as they were spoilt for choices in terms of the players that they could have chosen to retain.
A team could retain a maximum of four players, so Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL on five occasions, chose to retain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Kieron Pollard.
However, it wouldn't have been an easy call for Mumbai Indians' backroom staff as they had to let go of various big names, including the likes of Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Ishan Kishan. Zaheer Khan, who was one of those who took part in the big discussions, recently revealed why Mumbai Indians decided to let go of Hardik Pandya.
"The retention calls usually take into consideration various aspects and angles. The debates are usually very long (laughs). It is not an easy process when you set yourself up for a big auction and say goodbye to all players with a heavy heart with whom you spent a lot of time and energy," Zaheer was quoted as saying by TimesofIndia.com.
Hardik, who has been a vital cog in Mumbai Indians' recent success had been struggling with various fitness issues of late. Not only did he not bowl in the IPL 2021 held earlier this year, owing to his struggles, Pandya was also left out of India's T20 squad for the T20I World Cup.
Therefore, from this perspective, it can be understood why the Indians decided to retain other players. Zaheer however, did wish Hardik Pandya a speedy recovery, as he hoped Pandya would also recover his lost form once he returns to full fitness.
