Captain Hardik Pandya calls Mumbai Indians' retentions '5 fingers but one fist'

Hardik Pandya, while addressing the MI fans, said that the players retained by the franchise are like '5 fingers but one fist'. Bumrah, Suryakumar, Hardik, Rohit and Tilak have been named as MI's retentions.

In Short

• Hardik Pandya to lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025
• Mumbai Indians name their 5 capped player retentions
• Bumrah, Suryakumar, Hardik, Rohit and Tilak retained by the franchise

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya had a special message for the fans after the franchise announced their retained list of players for IPL 2025 retentions. The official social media handle of the franchise shared a special video where Hardik expressed his gratitude for all the love and learnings he experienced over the years with Mumbai Indians. He termed the 5 retained players, namely Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Verma as '5 fingers but one fist'. This showcased the close-knit bond and "brotherhood" the players share among themselves.

"5 people who we all have cherished a lot of good memories, together. We are as one. We are five fingers but one fist, that's how I look at it. We are going to come all guns blazing, brotherhood, friendship and at the same point of time we are going to back each other no matter what happens," Hardik said in the video as he was retained for Rs 16.35 crore by the franchise.

IPL 2025 retention: Live updates

Watch the video here

Hardik recalled MI's triumphs from the previous editions and aimed to replicate something similar in the upcoming season.

""It has been fantastic. I have been loved back. Everything what I have achieved in my life has been part of Mumbai Indians. Every year is a special year and this is going to be an even more special one. We remember as a group in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. I think all of our fans know what happened in those years, and we are going to come back in 2025 even stronger than that.

Hardik aims to conquer past challenges

Hardik’s first season as MI captain in 2024 was challenging, with the franchise finishing at the bottom of the standings. The change in leadership drew mixed reactions from fans, and Hardik faced boos in some venues. However, he turned around his form later in the year, contributing significantly to India’s successful 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.

"You lose and win on the ground. It is just preparation. I like to work hard, like to prepare well, and I think God has been really kind to me. Have put me in situations where I was able to hold my nerves, and you know something special has come out," Hardik said.

With these five capped players locked in, MI will have one Right to Match (RTM) option, which they can use only on an uncapped player at the auction. Though the retention amounts for each player remain undisclosed, MI’s five-player retention will cost them a minimum of INR 75 crore from their INR 120 crore purse, possibly more if higher amounts were negotiated.