A video of Team India's talismanic all-rounder Hardik Pandya recently connecting with a person who gave him ₹400 as match fees for a local tournament is doing the rounds. Pandya became a household name following his debut in the 2015 Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Mumbai Indians (MI). He grew in stature and has now become a pivotal cog in India's white-ball team.
While Hardik was retained for a whopping ₹16.35 crore by MI ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, there was a time when he raked in just ₹400 as match fees in local tournaments. The star cricketer recently connected with the person who picked him for one such tournament.
Hardik spoke to the person over a video call, where he talked about about how much ₹400 meant to him back then. He also mentioned that his brother Krunal Pandya earned ₹500 as match fees in the tournament.
In a video shared by an Instagram account with the name of my_jambusar392150, Hardik can be heard saying in Gujarati:
"Tamara 400 rupiya bau kaam avta hata (Your 400 rupees were very useful)."
Hardik Pandya is part of Baroda's squad for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. He stole the show with his batting exploits, in his team's seven-wicket victory over Tripura on Friday, November 29.
Hardik Pandya played a quickfire 47-run knock against Tripura in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024
Baroda needed to chase down a 110-run target in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 match against Tripura at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Hardik Pandya walked out to bat at No. 4 and entertained viewers with his blistering knock.
The swashbuckling batter scored 47 runs from just 23 deliveries, scoring at a strike rate of 204.35. He took Tripura's Parvez Sultan to the cleaners, hitting four sixes and a boundary in a single over.
It is worth mentioning that he hit four sixes in a single over against Tamil Nadu's Gurjapneet Singh as well earlier in the tournament.
With four wins from as many matches, Baroda are currently the table-toppers of Group B. They will now take on Saurashtra at Emerald High School Ground in Indore on Sunday, December 1.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news