“Is He Worth To Be An 18 Cr Player?” : Tom Moody Questions Hardik Pandya’s Possible Retention By MI

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody has raised concerns about the decision to retain Hardik Pandya for INR 18 crore by Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the next IPL season.

Moody said that Rohit would be a “little disillusioned” with what happened over the last 6-12 months with the franchise and kept Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma among his picks.

“The way that things panned out in the last edition of the IPL, he (Rohit Sharma) would be, I think, a little bit disillusioned with what happened over the last 6-12 months. I would have Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav at 18 crores, and Hardik at 14. Leaving is up to him (Hardik), or you can put it down to his performance, form, and fitness. And when you dissect all of those areas with Hardik Pandya, does he deserve to be an 18 crore player? Is he worth it? If you have got to be an 18 crore player, you have got to be a genuine matchwinner and do it regularly. Hardik Pandya, through his trials and tribulations over the last edition of the IPL, was struggling with both fitness and performance. Tilak Varma absolutely,” said Moody.

Moody proposed that MI might need to reconsider their retention strategy, mentioning players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma as stronger retention candidates.

He also questioned the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, highlighting his inconsistency and failure to deliver match-winning performances despite his hefty price tag.

Moody pointed to MI’s struggles at the auction table in recent years, especially with high-profile acquisitions like Jofra Archer and Ishan Kishan, who failed to provide the expected returns. Archer, in particular, missed the entire 2022 season and played only five matches in 2023.

In terms of IPL regulations, the Governing Council introduced several new rules for the 2025–2027 cycle, including a retention cap of six players, a match fee of INR 7.5 lakhs for each playing member, and increased salary caps for future seasons.