Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has expressed his feelings following the departure of wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for ₹11.25 crore within the IPL 2025 mega public sale. Kishan’s six-year affiliation with the Mumbai-based franchise got here to an finish after MI determined to not pursue him additional throughout the aggressive bidding.
In a heartfelt video shared by MI, Pandya acknowledged the problem of letting go of Kishan, highlighting his immense contribution each on and off the sphere.
“We knew it could be robust to get him again”
Hardik revealed that Mumbai Indians had been conscious of the challenges in re-acquiring Kishan within the public sale as a consequence of his immense expertise and demand. “Ishan has been the ‘freshness’ and the ‘power’ of the room. Once we couldn’t retain him, we at all times knew it’s gonna be very tough to get him again from the public sale merely due to the form of participant and skillset he brings,” Pandya stated.
Regardless of making an early bid for Kishan, MI ultimately backed out as groups like Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) aggressively joined the race.
Kishan’s influence on MI
Reflecting on Kishan’s legacy at MI, Hardik described him as a participant who introduced life to the dressing room, typically lifting spirits along with his vibrant character. “He at all times stored the dressing room mild and made lots of people smile. That love and heat got here naturally to him. There will likely be much less cake smashing, fewer pranks taking place with out him. Ishan introduced a lot like to this crew, and as a bunch, we’re really going to overlook him,” he added.
The MI skipper affectionately referred to Kishan because the crew’s “pocket dynamo” and expressed his gratitude for the time they shared. “Ishan Kishan, you’ll at all times be MI’s pocket dynamo. We’re all going to overlook you, and all of us love you.”
💌 𝓉ℴ 𝐼𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓃 #MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians | @ishankishan51 pic.twitter.com/K1Gz5DKYUU
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 1, 2024
Additionally READ: Mumbai Indians IPL 2025 Squad – Full gamers record of MI after the mega public sale
Kishan’s journey with Mumbai Indians
Kishan joined MI in 2018, making a direct influence by scoring 275 runs at a strike charge of 150 in his debut season. Within the IPL 2020, Kishan reached new heights, rising as MI’s highest run-scorer with 516 runs and incomes the accolade for hitting essentially the most sixes within the event.
MI reaffirmed their belief in him throughout the IPL 2022 public sale, securing him for a file ₹15.25 crore. Kishan was a key participant in subsequent seasons, being retained for the 2023 and 2024 editions, additional cementing his significance to the franchise.
