Hardik Pandya returns to competitive cricket at the DY Patil T20 Tournament for Reliance 1 

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has made his return to the cricket field in the DY Patil T20 tournament after a lengthy injury stint. The player was injured in the league stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup and missed the tour of South Africa and the home series against Afghanistan as well.

The all-rounder has been sharing clips of his return to full fitness on his social media accounts. He completed the final phase of his recovery by training alongside Krunal Pandya and Ishan Kishan, as part of the high-performance program by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

The DY Patil T20 tournament is the ideal avenue to gain match practice ahead of the upcoming 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, where he will be seen leading the Mumbai Indians (MI).

The Hardik Pandya-led Reliance 1 side also features other players from the Mumbai Indians camp, including the likes of Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Akash Madhwal and Piyush Chawla.

Ishan Kishan, who is also touted to feature in the tournament after controversially skipping the Ranji Trophy, might be part of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) team, according to News18.

Hardik Pandya strikes with the new ball for Reliance in the DY Patil T20 Tournament

The all-rounder opened the bowling for his side and ended with figures of 2-22 after his first spell of three overs. One of his dismissals included Indian batter Rahul Tripathi for a duck. Both of his wickets came in his third over.

Pandya is expected to play a role in the run chase as well, to mark his return in style ahead of the 2024 IPL season.

The DY Patil T20 Tournament features 16 teams in total, divided into four groups. The eight teams qualifying for the knockout stage will play the quarter-finals on March 7 and 8, while the tournament will conclude with the final on March 9.

Will Hardik feature as a complete all-rounder for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 right after recovering from injury? Let us know what you think.