My name always sells, have no problem with it: Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya's name has constantly been embroiled in controversies outside the field. Hardik's rash statements, fashion choices, and lavish lifestyle has made him the media's favourite child, especially after an infamous episode with KL Rahul on Koffee with Karan television show.

After guiding the Gujarat Titans into the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 last evening (May 24), Pandya interacted with the media and quipped that his name sells, and he finds no problem with that.

"The name 'Hardik Pandya' always sells. I've no problem with it, and I just take it easy with a smiling face,"

Leading the Ahmedabad franchise in their debut season, Pandya won 10 out of their 14 league games and topped the points table to qualify for the playoffs. His form has been phenomenal, scoring 453 runs with the bat, the highest run-getter for the club, just four runs ahead of David Miller (449).

Pandya spoke in detail about his mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying how his influence has helped him come out of the challenging phase.

"Obviously, Mahi Bhai has played a big role in my life. He's a dear brother, a dear friend, and family to me ...I've learnt a lot of good things from him. For me, it was more about being individually strong which I'm really proud of myself as well as how I was able to manage all the parts," the 29-year-old said.

Back in 2019, Pandya was handed a two-match ban and fined INR 20 lakhs by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for his statement on Karan's show, which was directed toward women in his life. As a result, he was dropped from playing XI as well.

He later apologized for his poor remarks.

On return from India's debacle at the World Cup T20I in the UAE and Oman last year, Pandya was stopped at the airport, where Indian customs officials reportedly seized two watches worth around Rs 5 crore.

The Gujarat-born later clarified that the watches were worth Rs 1.5 crores on social media.