NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya had made a promise to Indian woman cricketer Kashvee Gautam a few months ago, and he has now fulfilled it with complete sincerity during the ongoing IPL.
The 21-year-old Kashvee, who represents Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League, met Pandya during the tournament. During that interaction, her teammates informed Hardik that the young all-rounder draws great inspiration from him and has even written ‘HP33’ on her bat. Touched by the gesture, Pandya had promised Kashvee that he would customize a bat weighing 1100 grams—the same as her bat—and gift it to her.
Pandya has now lived up to that promise, presenting the bat to Kashvee ahead of Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2025 clash against Delhi Capitals.
“Badhai ho badhai pehla call up ke liye. Ye le tu check kar, nahi acha lage to ye wapas de dena [Congratulations on your first call-up! Here, take this and check it out—if you don’t like it, you can return it] (while giving bat). Play and enjoy. Go well. India ke liye khelo,” Pandya said in a video.
Kashvee has been named in the Indian team for the first time, following a stellar WPL season. Her call-up comes ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India later this year.
The young all-rounder had a standout campaign in the WPL, finishing as Gujarat’s leading wicket-taker. She picked up 11 wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 6.45 and also chipped in with the bat, playing some vital innings for her side.
Meanwhile, Pandya is gearing up to lead Mumbai Indians against Delhi Capitals on Sunday in Delhi. Mumbai have endured a tough start to their campaign, with just one win in five matches and are currently placed second-last in the points table.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
