Brothers Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya will face off for the first time in the IPL this year. Both previously represented the Mumbai Indians, but will now play for two new franchises.
While Hardik joined the Gujarat Titans ahead of the mega auction, Krunal was signed by the Lucknow Super Giants at the auction on Saturday. The Super Giants shelled out ₹8.25 crore for the elder Pandya brother.
Reacting to his brother joining a different team in the IPL, Hardik Pandya wrote on Instagram:
“See you on the other side my bro.”
Krunal Pandya is currently one of the top all-rounders in the IPL. The 30-year-old from Gujarat played 84 matches for the Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring 1,143 runs at a strike rate of 138.55.
In the bowling department, Krunal scalped 51 wickets at an economy rate of 7.37. He played an important role in the Mumbai team’s championship wins in the 2017, 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Interestingly, Krunal was the Man of the Match in the IPL 2017 final, where MI defeated Rising Pune Supergiant. Now, five years later, the all-rounder is set to play for a franchise with a similar name and the same owners.
Gujarat Titans tried to sign Krunal Pandya at the IPL 2022 Auction
Krunal Pandya entered the IPL 2022 Auction with a base price of ₹2 crore. Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings were the first two franchises to bid for him. They took the price beyond ₹5 crore.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants entered the bidding war next and the price crossed ₹7 crore in no time. Lucknow led the race with a ₹7.25 crore bid when Gujarat Titans joined in. Eventually, Lucknow signed him for ₹8.25 crore.
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