CVC Capital bought the new Ahmedabad franchise in the IPL after it was given a letter of intent by the Indian cricket board (BCCI).
While some legal issues with the BCCI still needed to be resolved, the Ahmedabad franchise had already begun working on the formation of its team management. Former India pacer Ashish Nehra is expected to become the team’s head coach while star all rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to become the captain. A deal like this would be a major shot in the arm for Hardik, who has fallen out of favour with the Indian selectors.
Journalist K Shriniwas Rao was responsible for the major development. “Hardik Pandya will be the captain of the brand new Ahmedabad franchise (not Shreyas),” he tweeted. According to earlier reports, former Delhi Capitals batter Shreyas Iyer will lead the team.
However, Pandya has now emerged as the new front-runner for the job. Rashid Khan, the leg-spinner for Ahmedabad, was also picked for the team. “They’re getting Rashid Khan on board too,” the tweet read further.
Throughout the last couple of years, Pandya has struggled with his fitness. In the case of the reports being true, it would be interesting to see how he embraces captaincy. During the Twenty20 World Cup 2021, the all-rounder was heavily criticized for his poor performance. It was due to a back issue that he could not bowl much.
Since then, Pandya has been dropped from the team and his return is unlikely in IPL 2022. The Lucknow team has reportedly appointed KL Rahul as its captain. There is therefore a lot of interest in seeing who will be picked initially by the two new IPL teams.
