IPL 2018: 5 players Mumbai Indians should tie down

#2 Hardik Pandya

Retention Mode: Pre-Auction Retention

Hardik Pandya is another integral member of the Mumbai Indians camp. They identified the talent in young Pandya and bought the Baroda all-rounder in the 2015 edition of the IPL. He showed his capabilities right from the first match that he played for them, hitting long sixes and finishing the innings when the team needed him the most.

Soon, he received a call-up to the international T20 squad where he showed his potential. Since then there has been no turning back for Pandya. He is now a regular in the Indian T20, ODI, and Test squad as a fast-bowling all-rounder. He has even been compared to World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, who himself praised the lad.

Pandya played a prominent role in the team winning the title in 2015 and 2017 editions, though he could not do much in the 2016 edition where he managed to score just 44 runs and take just 3 wickets in 11 matches. In the 2017 edition, he came back strong and scored 250 runs at a strike rate of 156.25 and took 6 wickets. His successful run in the internationals makes him one of the most valuable players in the IPL.