New Delhi, Nov 15: Quashing the rumours, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has claimed that he never intended to leave his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians.
In an interview to CNN-IBN, Pandya revealed he was disappointed to hear the news that he's willing to leave the franchise ahead of the IPL 2018 auction to attract a huge bid.
"I was disappointed when I heard this news because this is false. This team has given me everything. Why would I leave it? My life changed when I got a chance to play for MI (Mumbai Indians) and then I never looked back. I had a small failure and that's why I learned to be even more professional. You need to understand that some things are bad. That's how you improve in life," said the Baroda cricketer.
Earlier it was reported that Pandya could be amongst the list of cricketers on which franchises would be willing to shell out a huge amount. Several big names like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith etc. will go under the hammer for IPL 2018.
MI signed Hardik for Rs 10 lakh in IPL 2015 and his fee was hiked to 20 lakhs for the next season. He has become a vital member of India's limited-overs squad and his growing stature in world cricket will certainly ensure he'll be one of the most sought after cricketer in the auction.
There's a high possibility he might get retained by the Mumbai Indians at a much higher price.