“Game banayega name” is the perfect phrase which defines the legacy of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is a great platform for the domestic cricketers to showcase their talent and share dressing rooms with some of the greats of the shortest format of cricket. IPL has changed the lives of several Indian cricketers professionally and financially too.
Hardik Pandya is one of those cricketers who gives a major credit of their success to IPL. Hardik is the biggest gift of IPL to Indian cricket. In an interview with Times of India, Hardik said , “I owe a lot to the IPL as it has changed my cricket and my life”. Here in this article we would look at the journey of Hardik Pandya in the IPL and his yearwise salary.
Year wise price of Hardik Pandya in IPL
| YEAR | PRICE | TEAM |
| 2015 | 10 Lakh | Mumbai Indians |
| 2016 | 10 Lakh | Mumbai Indians |
| 2017 | 10 Lakh | Mumbai Indians |
| 2018 | 11 Crore | Mumbai Indians |
| 2019 | 11 Crore | Mumbai Indians |
| 2020 | 11 Crore | Mumbai Indians |
| 2021 | 11 Crore | Mumbai Indians |
| 2022 | 15 Crore | Mumbai Indians |
| 2023 | 15 Crore | Mumbai Indians |
Pandya belonged to a lower middle class family and faced many struggles in his cricketing journey. Hardik first registered his name in the IPL 2014 auction, but failed to get any bid in the IPL 2014 auction despite having 10 Lakh as his base price. However the fortunes changed for the Baroda all rounder in the IPL 2015 auction.
2015-2017 (10 Lakh per year)
Mumbai Indians bought Hardik Pandya at a base price of 10 Lakhs in the IPL 2015 auction. Hardik Pandya had an image of a hard hitter at that time in domestic cricket who can bowl a few overs. John Wright played a crucial role in scouting Hardik Pandya while he was playing domestic cricket for Baroda. The Baroda all rounder hit a six on the second ball of his IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The self belief of Hardik Pandya is what separated him from other youngsters. Pandya played a brilliant knock of 21 runs in 8 balls against CSK in the same season. Hardik scored 112 runs in IPL 2015 at an impressive strike rate of 180. Hardik Pandya won the IPL title with Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015.
Hardik Pandya is a multiskilled cricketer. He also got an Indian call up after his debut IPL season. Mumbai Indians didn’t hesitate in retaining Hardik Pandya for IPL 2016 at the same price. However, the 2016 season of IPL didn’t go well for him. Hardik made a brilliant comeback in the 2017 season of IPL where he scored 250 runs at an impactful strike rate of 156 and helped Mumbai become champion in IPL 2017.
2018-2021 (11 Crore per year)
IPL 2018 was the year of the mega auction. Hardik was retained by Mumbai Indians at a price of 11 Crore before IPL 2018 mega auction. Mumbai showed faith in the all round abilities of Pandya. Hardik didn’t disappoint and had a brilliant IPL season in 2019 and 2020. Pandya was at the peak of his powers in 2019 and 2020 and helped Mumbai Indians win two back to back IPL seasons. Hardik was retained at a price of 11 Crore before each year’s mini auction from 2019 to 2021.
2022-2023 (15 Crore per year)
The year 2022 saw the addition of two new IPL teams – Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants. Hardik Pandya wasn’t retained by Mumbai Indians before the mega auction of IPL 2022. However , Gujarat Titans picked Hardik in the draft at a price of 15 Crore.
Hardik Pandya was also given the captaincy of Gujarat Titans. A lot of calmness and maturity was seen in the captaincy of Hardik which led Gujarat Titans to IPL title in their debut season. Gujarat-born Hardik also excelled with both bat and ball for Gujarat Titans and was awarded Man of the match award in IPL 2022 final. Pandya is also retained by Gujarat for IPL 2023 at the same price.
Read more: Gujarat Titans 2023 players list
Conclusion
Hardik Pandya getting picked by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015 auction was a life changing moment for him. Initially, Hardik was picked at a price of 10 Lakh in IPL 2015. But due to his consistent performances and all round abilities, he was retained by Mumbai Indians at a price of 11 Crore before IPL 2018.
After 4 years , Gujarat Titans picked Hardik Pandya in the draft at an amount of 15 Crore and also gave him the captaincy. Hardik won IPL 2022 in his debut season as captain for Gujarat Titans. So far Hardik Pandya has earned a total amount of 59 Crore 30 lakh after playing 8 seasons of IPL.
FAQ
Q1) Which team did Hardik Pandya represent in domestic cricket?
Ans) Hardik Pandya represented Baroda in domestic cricket.
Q2)When did Hardik Pandya make his international debut?
Ans) Hardik Pandya made his international debut for India in January, 2016.
Q3)Which is the current team of Hardik Pandya in the IPL?
Ans) Hardik Pandya is currently playing for Gujarat Titans in IPL.
