Now Reading: Hardik Pandya trade talks heat up, CSK and KKR lead race
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Hardik Pandya trade talks heat up, CSK and KKR lead race
Hardik Pandya could be on his way out of Mumbai Indians (MI) after a poor IPL 2026 season. The MI skipper managed only 206 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate…
The Story in Brief
Hardik Pandya could be on his way out of Mumbai Indians (MI) after a poor IPL 2026 season. The MI skipper managed only 206 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 138.25 and took just four wickets. MI finished ninth with four wins. The franchise retained Pandya for Rs 16.35 crore ahead of IPL 2026.
According to Cricbuzz, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings are the frontrunners to sign the all-rounder in a trade. Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals may also enter the race. As per another report, MI are also interested in trading for Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, which could be one of the biggest IPL trades ever. Some reports, however, claim Pandya may not be traded at all.
The Indian Opinion
A familiar IPL season is upon us: a big-name player has one bad year, and the chatter mills start demanding a trade. Hardik Pandya's numbers in 2026 were indeed weak, but he averaged 14 wickets and a strike rate of 163.5 the season before. The same franchises now calling for his head were hailing his captaincy after Gujarat Titans won the title. If MI let go of India's top seam-bowling all-rounder based on one lean season, they will have to find an equal replacement. The real test: will any team actually pay Rs 16.35 crore in a trade? Or is this just pre-auction noise?
Sources (4): indiatvnews.com, odishatv.in, sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 4 sources.
