Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad's funny Twitter exchange cracks up social media

An unassuming post on Twitter by Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Hardik Pandya kicked up a storm on the social media platform as it led to banter between the three-time champions and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Hardik, who has been absent from national duty for quite some time with an injury, posted a photograph of himself with MI teammates Kieron Pollard and elder brother Krunal Pandya on Monday, a day after the completion of the T20I series between India and the West Indies at home.

The star cricketer wrote he is excited to reunite with Pollard and Krunal, who are part of the all-rounder trio, which has been instrumental in helping MI dominate the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years.

The Mumbai-based franchise retweeted Hardik's tweet and posed a challenge to the social media users. They captioned the post: "Find a better allrounder trio. We will wait."

Former champions SRH replied to the thread with a photograph of Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan alongside Mohammad Nabi and Shakib Al Hasan and captioned it, "The wait is over", hinting that the Hyderabad trio is better than the Mumbai trio of Pollard and the Pandya brothers.

MI were quick to reply to the viral thread with a photograph of their three IPL trophies and captioned it: "The wait goes on...".

Notably, MI have been one of the most consistent sides, winning the coveted title thrice while SRH managed to win the title only once — during David Warner's captaincy in 2016.

The harmless exchange between two of the most-followed IPL teams seemingly entertained social media users with popular television anchor Gaurav Kapur calling it "top banter".

Hardik also seemed to enjoy the banter as he retweeted it and appreciated his franchise's comeback to SRH's post.

Nonetheless, according to the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) player rankings, SRH's Nabi and Shakib feature among the top three in all-rounder's rankings while none of the MI players feature in the top 10.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Hardik and other World Cup-bound Indian pace bowlers will feature in the 2019 edition of IPL as captain Virat Kohli has reportedly requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow the pacers to skip the cash-rich league in order to keep them fresh for Cricket World Cup, which will be played in England next year.