Born in Gujarat, but it feels like Mumbai adopted him. After playing two seasons for his home side - the Gujarat Titans (GT), Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is convinced that he has finally returned home.

Pandya is back at Mumbai Indians (MI) - A franchise where he tasted early Indian Premier League (IPL) success as an up-and-coming all-rounder in T20 cricket.

The premier all-rounder was a part of Mumbai's title-winning side on four occasions between 2015 and 2021. Completing his homecoming for IPL 2024, Pandya re-joined Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal with Gujarat Titans before the mini-auction in Dubai. Hardik also succeeded veteran Rohit Sharma as Mumbai's captain for the new season. The former GT skipper was also Rohit's deputy at the 2023 edition of the ICC World Cup.

Hardik's Mumbai Paltan to meet GT in their IPL 2024 opener

An ankle injury cut short Pandya's campaign at the ICC event last year. A fit-again Pandya recently returned to competitive cricket after his long injury layoff. Speaking to Star Sports ahead of his captaincy debut at MI, Pandya asserted that he returned home after two years. Hardik and Co. will meet GT in their IPL 2024