Sources close to the situation revealed that GT was open to Pandya's return. They had even discussed this possibility with their current captain, Shubman Gill, who agreed to the idea. However, when Pandya's condition of captaincy was put forth, everyone at the franchise rejected it outright. Notably, Pandya captained GT to the title in the latter's debut IPL season in 2022. Pandya returned to MI ahead of the 2024 season.