The much-discussed Hardik Pandya-Yashasvi Jaiswal trade appears unlikely to materialise at this stage. While the possibility may not be entirely ruled out, the proposed deal between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals appears to have lost momentum.
Cricbuzz understands that the proposed trade was not entirely baseless, with the two franchises having held discussions a few months ago. However, the talks did not make much headway, and the franchises are currently not engaged in any such discussions.
The trade had merit because the Royals currently have another young left-handed opening option in Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who has been with the franchise for the last two seasons. The South African has been in good form of late, scoring 465 runs in the recent season of MLC at a strike rate of over 176, including a century and four fifties.
The 20-year-old South African finished third on the MLC batting charts this year and helped San Francisco Unicorns reach the playoffs. Matthew Short and Andries Gous were the only batters ahead of him, although their strike-rates were lower than Pretorius’s.
Pretorius, widely considered one of the format’s rising stars, has been among the more consistent T20 batters in recent times, although his IPL opportunities have been limited to three games so far, including two last season. He scored 226 from four innings at a strike-rate of 179.37 in the T20I tri-series in Namibia and has carried on his bright form in the ongoing SA20, where he scored a blistering 188* off 79 deliveries for the Titans against the Knights.
He could provide the Royals with a back-up option if the Jaiswal trade were to materialise, although there is no confirmation that a deal is being pursued. Jaiswal remains contractually bound to the Royals for at least one more season. Royals officials did not respond to queries on the matter.
Had the talks progressed, the Royals would have been involved in trades involving key players in successive windows. Former captain Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings last year in exchange for two players – Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. At this stage, however, another such trade deal appears unlikely.
As for other potential trades, franchise-level discussions could gather pace in the coming weeks as the November 15 retention deadline approaches. It is learnt that Pitru Paksha, a period considered inauspicious for important decisions, is among the factors some franchise owners take into account while making business decisions. The period ended earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians sources have said that Rohit Sharma’s reported return as captain has not come up for discussion so far. The franchise wants to finalise its coaching setup, including whether to bring in new coaches or retain the existing staff, before taking up the captaincy question.
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