Skipper Hardik Pandya on Monday reflected on Mumbai Indians’ (MI) picks from the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega-auction and said that they have found the “right mix” of players.
In a video shared on the MI’s official social media handle, Hardik Pandya said that auction dynamics are always tricky since a franchise has to create a whole team.
“The auction dynamics are always tricky. You know when you are watching it live, it is very exciting and the emotions are always up and down because you want this player but sometimes you just lose. It’s very important to not be very so emotional and in the end, we have to create a whole team,” Pandya was quoted in a release from MI media team.
Hardik was in close contact with the coaching staff about the players he wanted and felt that the team had the perfect mix of youth and experience.
“I was in touch with the table as well, exactly who we are going for and I think we came out pretty well from the auction and how the team is looking. We have found the right mix, which is experienced players, like Boulty is back, Deepak Chahar, who has been around, and at the same time, young guns like Will Jacks, Robin Minz and Rickelton, who are fresh. So I think we have done pretty well. We have covered all the bases,” he added.
The 31-year-old also had a personal message for the new young talent in the team, having himself been in that boat when he was scouted by Mumbai Indians “My message, to all the young guns, who are joining Mumbai Indians this year is that if you are here, you have that spark, you have that talent, which the scouts have seen. They found me, they found Jasprit, they found Krunal, they found Tilak. They all eventually played for the country. All you have to do is show up, train, work hard and the best part is that Mumbai Indians has the facility to make them flourish,” he further added.
As leader, Hardik wanted to make the new players feel welcome and valued, saying, “There are new faces who are going to come from new franchises. As Mumbai Indians, we’re going to make sure that they feel at home and that they belong here.”
