Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri revealed that Hardik Pandya was  'shocked' after Mumbai Indians didn't retain him ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction.Having to choose between the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan, the MI management had a tough task at hand. They decided to retain Rohit, Surya and Bumrah, while Kishan was picked up in the mega auction. Kieron Pollard was the final pick as a foreigner from MI, while both Hardik and his brother Krunal Pandya weren't retained. 

Speaking during the second ODI between India and England, Shastri, who is part of the commentary team revealed that Hardik was shocked after MI didn't retain him, despite all his performances an all-rounder for the franchise. "It shocked him when he was not retained by Mumbai Indians," said Shastri. Subsequently, 'Kung Fu' Pandya was picked as a draft player by debutants GT, and he led the franchise to their maiden IPL title at the first time of asking.  He was their top run-scorer with 487 runs - the most he has scored in an IPL season - in 15 matches. With the ball too, he made a roaring comeback, picking up eight wickets. In the final against Rajasthan Royals, he claimed three important wickets that broke the backbone of RR's batting unit.