3 players who returned to their old teams at the IPL 2024 Auction ft. Shardul Thakur and CSK
Homecomings were the talk of the IPL sphere even before the 2024 auction began. Most of it was due to Hardik Pandya's exit from the first team that trusted him as captain in the IPL, Gujarat Titans (GT), to return to the franchise that scouted him in the first place, Mumbai Indians (MI).
Some GT fans were unhappy to see him go, while some MI fans didn't mind him coming back until he played under Rohit Sharma. MI wanted to portray it as a homecoming but it became much more controversial than they wanted it to be after naming Hardik as captain.
This was not the first time it turned out this way either. When Gautam Gambhir left Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to return to his home state franchise, Delhi Capitals (DC), it turned out to be damning for everyone involved and he had to give up mid-way.
However, when homecomings are not driven by the choice of a player, they are mostly wholesome (like Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni to Chennai Super Kings after 2018).
Three such instances happened in the IPL 2024 auction. Check them here:
#3 Shreyas Gopal to Mumbai Indians
Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal was one of the early successes of MI's now widely-renowned scouting system.
The Karnataka man joined the franchise in 2014 and was mighty impressive in the limited games he played in his first season, picking up six wickets from four matches at an average of 18.83. At that time, his partnership with fellow Karnataka spinner Jagadeesha Suchith used to be breathtaking to watch.
However, MI didn't trust them much in the next three years and the duo fell in the shadow of the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Krunal Pandya, and Karn Sharma, despite putting in good performances for Karnataka.
Gopal moved to Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and had two brilliant seasons followed by three tough ones (two with the Royals and two with SunRisers Hyderabad). Now, he is returning to MI as one of the domestic greats of Karnataka cricket with tons of experience of bowling with both new and old balls in T20s.
Considering MI's lack of spin options, he'll likely get a handful of games to make his mark and perhaps even turn the clock back to 2014.
#2 Manish Pandey to Kolkata Knight Riders
There are match-winning performances in finals and then there is Manish Pandey's 94 (50) in the IPL 2014 final.
Not many players in the history of the tournament have had the privilege of being the top-scorer for his team in a mammoth 200-run chase to win the title. He did it against the year's best team - Kings XI Punjab - and in the most emphatic manner.
That knock alone got Pandey into the national team and good domestic performances made him worth ₹11 crore for SRH for four years between 2018 and 2021. Even Lucknow Super Giants didn't hesitate to spend a substantial ₹4.60 crore on him in the previous season.
However, Pandey's performances in the IPL never quite returned to his best. The six-hitting ability, which was on full display in the 2014 final, was never the same. KKR have trusted him immensely to even get him for ₹50 lakh after his recent struggles but he'd likely be a back-up for most of the season.
Still, Pandey will bring good leadership qualities (he won the Maharaja Trophy in 2023 as captain) and would want to grab every chance to showcase that he has still got it.
#1 Shardul Thakur to Chennai Super Kings
Of the three players on this list, Shardul Thakur will feel the most at home returning to CSK for IPL 2024. It's not a surprise that the franchise beat SRH in a short bidding war to get the India all-rounder for ₹4 crore.
Thakur started his career at Punjab before moving to the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and then to CSK in 2018. His next four years at the MS Dhoni-led franchise were his best in the IPL. Although he didn't bat much, Thakur picked up 55 wickets in 48 matches, building up an image of a serial partnership-breaker.
That image eventually led him to the Indian team where he maintained the same image while also contributing with the bat. However, CSK released him in IPL 2022 and DC picked him for a massive 10.75 crore.
Thakur performed decently well in Delhi but was a shadow of himself. KKR saw an opportunity in IPL 2023 and traded him in for the same price. But even at KKR, his contributions were of a bits-and-pieces player instead of a match-winner.
The last two years for Thakur have been slightly tough even while playing for India. He and CSK would hope that this homecoming would mark a return to his best days.