"We move ahead and carry with us this beautiful journey" - Krunal Pandya pens a heartfelt message after being released by MI ahead of IPL Auction 2022

Krunal Pandya took to his social media accounts on Friday to share an emotional message. The Indian all-rounder was released by Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the impending Indian Premier League (IPL) mega action.

The five-time champions had first signed the flamboyant cricketer for ₹2 crore at the IPL Auction in 2016. Pandya went on to carve a niche for himself in the team's star-studded line-up with impactful all-round performances over the years.

A 'grateful' Krunal Pandya thanked MI and their supporters for the love they have shown over the years. The southpaw wrote:

"6 years, 3 trophies and innumerable memories later, we move ahead and carry with us this beautiful journey with @mipaltan.Thank you MI and MI paltan for all the love you have shown all these years. Always grateful."

He also shared a reel video of some of his most memorable moments in a MI jersey. Watch the video here:

The 30-year-old represented the Mumbai Indians for six IPL seasons. He featured in 85 games for the franchise, scoring 1143 runs and taking 51 wickets.

Notably, Mumbai shelled out ₹8.80 crore at the 2018 IPL Auction to re-sign Pandya with the help of the Right to Match (RTM) card.

Two new teams, Ahmedabad and Luncknow, each have three vacant spots to fill. They could look to secure Pandya's services ahead of the mega auction, considering his exploits with both the bat and ball in the IPL.

---

MI retain four players ahead of IPL Auction 2022

Rohit Sharma has been the most successful skipper in IPL history. Having led Mumbai to five championship triumphs, retaining him was a no-branier for the MI think tank. Rohit was the Mumbai Indians' first retention for ₹16 crore.

Champion pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the second player the franchise decided to retain for ₹12 crore. Talented batter Suryakumar Yadav and T20 veteran Kieron Pollard were announced as their final two retentions for ₹8 crore and ₹6 crore respectively.