Mumbai Indians (MI) have officially confirmed the trade of captain Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in exchange for pacer Arshdeep Singh ahead of next week’s Indian Premier League (IPL) retention deadline. After weeks of speculation surrounding Hardik’s future, it was confirmed on Wednesday that he has joined PBKS for Rs 18 crore, a rise from his previous salary of Rs 16.35 crore. Arshdeep, meanwhile, moves to MI on his existing Rs 18-crore contract.

This comes a day after Arshdeep’s father, Darshan Singh, said in a video that an intimation about the trade deal has already been received.

Darshan, however, didn’t mention whether he had received any information about Hardik Pandya joining PBKS as part of the deal.

“We also found out surprisingly that the trade has happened. I think the official intimation has probably come now that he has been traded, yes. But, you know how it is… wherever a person is born, they always have a special love for their native place, and they never forget it their whole life. So, Kings XI Punjab was like a native place for him; there was a very strong connection with them. So, you do feel a little emotional about it,” Darshan told journalist Vimal Kumar in New Zealand.

Arshdeep’s father also said that he is happy to know that his son will be playing alongside the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, etc.

“But since every franchise wants to build its own team balance, they traded him accordingly. We are very happy with Mumbai Indians as well. Over there, his old captain and old teammates like Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and others are there, so we are very happy,” he added.