Virender Sehwag feels MI might not retain Hardik Pandya in IPL 2022

The five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) bowed out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the group stage. While they did had the same number of points as fourth placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), their poor net run-rate cost them a place in the playoffs. One of the main reasons for Mumbai Indians' success in IPL has been their willingness to stick to the same set of players. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya have been with the franchises since 2013. However, with the new retention policy, there may be a little change in the setup.

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag feels that MI might not retain Hardik Pandya for the next season of IPL. Pandya played as a specialist batter in IPL 2021 and didn’t bowl a single over for MI. Moreso, his performance with the bat was not that great either and Sehwag feels that MI can let go of Hardik Pandya in the next season.

“I think I would retain Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah. Ishan seems to be in it for the long haul, age is on his side so he can serve you better. If Hardik Pandya doesn’t bowl, I don’t think he would be able to fetch a big money at the auction because due to his injury concerns, everyone would think twice,” Sehwag said according to News 18.

The veteran batter feels that MI might prefer Ishan Kishan over Pandya due to the former’s current form. “Will he bowl or not? If he can declare himself fit and start bowling, then teams can buy him at the auction. The kind of performance Ishan Kishan has dished out today, expect many more from him in time to come because he is top-order batsman, unlike Hardik Pandya, who bats lower,” Sehwag added.