'All good things must end': Hardik Pandya's heartfelt post as Mumbai Indians release him

All-rounder Hardik Pandya posted a heartfelt message for the Mumbai-based Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise after the star player wasn't retained ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. 

The narratives will be different in the next edition of the cash-rich league as two new teams - Lucknow and Ahmedabad - will be part of the tournament with the competition featuring 74 matches where each side plays seven home and seven away games. 

With the arrival of two new teams, an auction is scheduled to take place in the last week of January and the existing eight franchises were eligible to retain up to four players with a maximum of three Indians, two overseas players and two uncapped Indians.

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Mumbai Indians (MI) opted to retain four players - skipper Rohit Sharma, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard. Some big names such as Hardik, Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Quinton de Kock, were released. 

Although MI's Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan hinted that there's still a chance and the management will try to get a lot of players back in the team during the auction but Hardik might find a new home next season. 

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Commenting on the journey with five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, Hardik shared some sweet pictures and wrote: "My journey with @mipaltan. I’ll carry these memories with me for the rest of my life, I’ll carry these moments with me for the rest of my life. The friends I’ve made, the bonds that were formed, the people, the fans, I’ll always be grateful."

He added, "I’ve grown not just as a player but as a person. I came here as a youngster with big dreams: we won together, we lost together, we fought together. Every moment with this team has a special place in my heart. They say all good things must end but @mipaltan will remain in my heart forever."