Picture Credit: X
Mumbai Indians took to their official Instagram account to post a candid video of their players, which included the captain Hardik Pandya hugging his counterpart Shubman Gill and the rest of Gujarat Titans squad. Notably, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans will be playing their IPL 2024 season opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24.
In the months leading up to the IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians signed Hardik Pandya in a trade deal from Gujarat Titans, whom he led to two finals in the last two seasons before taking the captaincy role at his new team, replacing Rohit Sharma. It led to Gujarat Titans giving the captaincy role to Shubman Gill, putting the big responsibility on the young shoulders of the 24-year-old.
The short clip from Mumbai Indians on Instagram, captioned “The Boys,” had Shubman Gill look quite pleased to meet up with the opposition players, including Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Arjun Tendulkar. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya had big hugs with the likes of Jayant Yadav and Rahul Tewatia, his former teammates at Gujarat Titans.
In the 2023 season of the IPL, Gujarat Titans got the better of Mumbai Indians twice at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. During their last meeting in Qualifier 2, GT annihilated MI in a one-sided contest, winning by 62 runs after posting a total in excess of 230.
With the inclusion of Hardik Pandya and the return of Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai Indians will be looking to give a better account of themselves against Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2024 opener in away conditions.
Watch Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill hugging each other here: