IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya Likely to Lead New Franchise Ahmedabad – Report

IPL 2022: If things go according to plan, this could be a major boost for Hardik Pandya, who has not played a lot of international cricket in recent times due to his injury. 

Mumbai: The Indian board on Monday gave the letter of intent (LOI) to the new IPL franchise Ahmedabad. A report in TOI suggests that Hardik Pandya is set to lead the new franchise. A couple of days back, there were reports of ex-India cricketer Ashish Nehra joining the side as the head coach. If things go according to plan, this could be a major boost for the Indian all-rounder who has not played a lot of international cricket in recent times due to his injury.

That is the sole reason why despite being a match-winner Mumbai Indians did not retain him. The Indian all-rounder was picked for the recently concluded T20 World Cup. After not bowling in the first few games, he eventually rolled his arms over – but with minimal effect. Following the T20 WC, Hardik pulled out of the ongoing tour of South Africa due to the injury.

Hardik would bring a lot of IPL experience to the table and if he is bowling – he could be a major contributor and hence it may be a very good pick by Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, the same report on TOI suggests that Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan is also in talks with the Ahmedabad franchise.

On the other hand, the other new franchise, Lucknow has been making all the moves. They hired ex-Zimbabwean star Andy Flower as their coach and ex-India international, Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the side. Reports suggest that they are in talks with KL Rahul and are looking at him to lead the side.