Does Hardik "Deserve To Be Rs 18 Crore Player"? MI Asked Blunt Question

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction will be a much followed affair. This time it's a mega auction, that means the 10 franchises will have to go the extra length at the planning table about which players they would want to retain. "The IPL franchises can retain a total of 6 players from their existing squad. This can be either via retention or by using the Right to Match (RTM) option. It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for Retentions and RTMs. The 6 retentions / RTM's can have a maximum of 5 capped players (Indian & Overseas) and a maximum of 2 uncapped players. The auction purse for the franchises has been set at INR 120 Crore for IPL 2025," said a BCCI release.

For five-time champions Mumbai Indians, which finished last at the IPL 2024, it will be crucial season. Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma were at the centre of a much-discussed captaincy change. The team is star-studded with other players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma in their ranks. It would be interesting to see whom they retain. 

Several reports have said, two players can be retained for Rs 18 crore each, two for Rs 14 crore each and one for Rs 11 crore. Keeping that mind, former IPL-winning coach Tom Moody said h is not sure whether Hardik Pandya deserves to be retained for the highest price -Rs 18 crore.  

"The way that things panned out in the last edition of the IPL, he (Rohit Sharma) would be, I think, a little bit disillusioned with what happened over the last 6-12 months. I would have Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav at 18, and Hardik at 14. (Leaving) is up to him or you can put it down to his performance, form and fitness. And when you dissect all of those areas with Hardik Pandya, does he deserve to be an 18 crore player? Is he worth? If you've got to be an 18 crore player, you've got to be a genuine match-winner and do it regularly. Hardik Pandya, through his trials and tribulations over the last edition of the IPL was struggling with both fitness and performance. Tilak Varma absolutely," Moody said on ESPNCricinfo.

"They've had a little bit of problem at the auction table last couple of years. They've gotten caught up in a way too loyal in some cases and tried to retain, or get players back into their squad, which has cost them dearly. Classic examples were Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer, both coming at a heavy price. Did they get the return? I look at Ishan Kishan and I think 'look he's a terrific player and is exciting. But also runs very hot and cold'. How many matches has he won out of his bat? That's a question you've got to ask. If you're paying him around 14 crore for retention, are you going to get the return from a performance point of view? They will have to make some hard decisions."