Following an intense IPL season and facing criticism from his own home fans, Hardik Pandya has finally earned their adoration after winning the T20 World Cup for India. His brother Krunal Pandya congratulated him and shared a touching post with childhood photos. Despite the ups and downs, Hardik has emerged victorious and proved his resilience on the field.
Shreyas Gopal, the newest member of Chennai Super Kings, made an impressive debut for Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by taking a hat-trick against Baroda. He dismissed opener Shashwat Rawat, followed by the stunning wickets of brothers Krunal and Hardik Pandya. He even claimed a fourth wicket when Bhanu Pania was caught by Mayank Agarwal, leading Karnataka to a victory in the tournament.
Hardik Pandya once again proved his worth as a firebrand T20 player as he smashed 69 runs off just 30 balls, including seven sixes and five boundaries, to lead Baroda to a stunning seven-wicket victory over Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. While his skipping of domestic cricket has caused controversy among fans, Pandya's explosive performance and Player of the Match title demonstrate why he is a valuable asset to the Indian cricket team. In a separate match, Shreyas Iyer showed why he was worth his whopping INR 26.75 crore IPL auction price tag, scoring 71 runs off 39 balls to help Mumbai beat Maharashtra by 5 wickets in just 17.1 overs.
The 17th edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, one of India's premier domestic T20 competitions, will commence on November 23. Featuring 38 teams including stars from the Indian team such as Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, and Yuzvendra Chahal, the tournament will be hosted across six cities and will culminate with the final on December 15 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The format of the tournament will see the top two teams from each group advance to the knockout round, with the remaining teams competing in the pre-quarterfinals.
Mumbai's Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane's brilliant batting led the team to a five-wicket victory over Maharashtra in a Group C match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Iyer's 71 off 39 balls and Rahane's 52 off 34 balls helped Mumbai chase down the target of 172 in just 17.1 overs. Hardik Pandya's 30-ball 69 also helped Baroda defeat Tamil Nadu in a thrilling last-ball victory. TN had set a daunting target of 221, but Pandya's great performance singlehandedly brought Baroda back in the match.
The Mumbai Indians emerged as the clear winners of the IPL 2025 mega auction as they made strategic picks and successfully built a team around their retained core. With star players like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah, MI added valuable assets in Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Reece Topley, and Will Jacks to strengthen their fast bowling and batting departments. The addition of former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun Tendulkar at his base price of Rs 30 lakh also made headlines. Here is the full squad list for Mumbai Indians after the mega auction.
As five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians entered IPL 2025 mega auction with a purse of Rs 45 crore, they made some major signings including Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult, who will lead their pace attack. With top players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya retained, MI also added valuable players like Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks to their squad, making their team a formidable one for the upcoming season.
Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was sold for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL mega auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His valuation skyrocketed from his base price of Rs 2 crore as RCB and Mumbai Indians fought for his acquisition. Bhuvneshwar rejoined RCB, his first IPL franchise, after stints with Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad where he became the team's all-time leading wicket-taker. Other notable transfers included Deepak Chahar to Mumbai Indians, Akash Deep to Lucknow Super Giants, Tushar Deshpande to Rajasthan Royals, and Delhi Capitals exercising their Right to Match option for Mukesh Kumar.
Krunal Pandya, the left-arm finger spinner and middle-order batsman, has remained a consistent performer for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2016. After being released by MI in 2022, he joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a record-breaking price of INR 8.25 crore, but was then snatched up by RCB for INR 5.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction due to his all-round skills and impressive performance in international cricket. Despite not getting as many opportunities in the national side as his brother Hardik Pandya, Krunal has proven himself to be a valuable asset for any team in the IPL.
After playing a crucial role in India's T20 World Cup triumph, Hardik Pandya once again climbed to the top of the ICC Men's T20I All-Rounder rankings. This is his second time at the top spot in 2021. With his batting and bowling prowess, Pandya helped India win the T20I series against South Africa, with Tilak Varma also making it to the top 3 in the batter's rankings.