Hardik: 'We knew it was difficult to get Ishan back from auction'

Hardik Pandya

The Mumbai Indians camp knew it would be difficult to get Ishan Kishan back into the fold from the Indian Premier League mega auction due to his skill set, said captain Hardik Pandya here on Sunday. The India wicketkeeper-batter did not feature in MI's retention list as the five-time champions retained former skipper Rohit Sharma, incumbent leader Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah.

Kishan was snapped up by last season's finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad for R11.25 crore as Mumbai Indians quit bidding on the player once it reached Rs 3.20 crore. Kishan had a base price of Rs 2 crore. "Ishan has been the freshness and the energy of the room," Pandya said in a video shared by Mumbai Indians.

"When we could not retain him we always knew it was going to be difficult to get him back from the auction simply because we knew the kind of player and the kind of skill set he brings," he added. Pandya fondly recalled Kishan as MI's "pocket dynamo", whose six-year stint with the team saw them winning the title twice between 2018-24.

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"He always used to keep the dressing room live, he made a lot of people smile, that love and warmth came very natural to him and there will be less cake-smashing, less pranks happening on the people," Pandya said.

"But yeah, that was Ishan who used to bring so much love to this team. We are going to miss him. Ishan Kishan, you will be MI's pocket dynamo and we are all going to miss you and we all love you," he said. A few days ago, Kishan had bid his adieu to the franchise in an emotional note, crediting them for being a part of his growth as a player and as a person.

"So many memories with all of you, so many moments of joy, happiness and growth," he wrote in an Instagram post. "MI, Mumbai, and the paltan will always remain in my heart," he added.

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