Hardik Pandya

Lore & Background

Pandya was born on 11 October 1993 in Choryasi, Surat, Gujarat. His father, Himanshu Pandya, ran a small car finance business in Surat which he shut down and moved to Vadodara when Hardik was five to provide his sons with better cricket training facilities. Himanshu Pandya worked as a loan consultant in Vadodara. He enrolled his two sons into Kiran More's cricket academy in Vadodara. Lacking finances, the Pandya family lived in a rented apartment in Gorwa, with the brothers using a second-hand car to travel to the cricket ground. Hardik studied at the MK High School until ninth grade before dropping out to focus on cricket. Pandya made steady progress in junior-level cricket, and according to Krunal, 'won a lot of matches single-handedly' in club cricket. In an interview with the Indian Express, Hardik said that he was dropped from his state age-group teams due to his 'attitude problems'. He added that he was 'just an expressive child' who did not 'like to hide his emotions.' According to his father, Pandya was a leg spinner until the age of 18 and turned to fast bowling at the insistence of the Baroda coach Sanath Kumar.

In Their Own Story

The Wankhede Stadium lights hummed as the scoreboard flashed, the equation tightening with every ball. Hardik Pandya walked to the crease, the weight of the blue jersey heavy on his shoulders but his eyes sharp and focused. With a deep breath, he adjusted his gloves, remembering the roar that had greeted him years ago. He didn't need a plan; he needed instinct. As the bowler ran in, the stadium held its breath, knowing that whatever happened next would be written into Mumbai Indians folklore.

Reader's Guide

Pandya played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL from 2015 to 2021. Against the Kolkata Knight Riders, in a must-win match for Mumbai Indians to remain in the playoff race, he scored 61 runs off 31 balls to take the match, earning him his second man of the match award of the 2015 season. Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, Pandya was released by the Mumbai Indians. He was then drafted by the new Ahmedabad-based franchise, Gujarat Titans, and named captain of the team. He led Gujarat to their maiden IPL title in 2022, becoming the first captain after Shane Warne in 2008 to lead a team to the title in its debut season. In IPL 2023 Pandya again led Gujarat Titans to their second consecutive final but lost to Chennai Super Kings by five wickets through DLS method. In November 2023, Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians after two seasons with the Gujarat Titans in an all-cash trade deal which involved Cameron Green being traded from the Mumbai Indians to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Pandya was later named captain of the team, replacing Rohit Sharma, a decision that drew criticism from the home crowd, who booed Pandya during the 2024 season. Under Pandya's captaincy, Mumbai Indians ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2024, failing to qualify for the playoffs and finishing last in the league stage with 4 wins in 14 games. Pandya scored 216 runs batting at various positions between 4–8, at an average of 18.00. With the ball, he took 11 wickets with an economy of 10.75.

Did You Know?

• Pandya is the first Indian player to record a half-century and take 4 wickets in the same T20I.
• He became the first Indian all-rounder to be ranked number 1 in the T20I Rankings after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
• Pandya scored his maiden Test century in the 3rd Test against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, becoming the first Indian batsman to score a Test century just before lunch.
• He is the first fast-bowling all-rounder in T20Is to complete 1,000 runs and 100 wickets.