Hardik Pandya joined the MI franchise in IPL 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma as captain.
Hardik Pandya is currently the most talked-about player as the Indian Premier League (IPL) trade window is open. Reports have stated that MI and Hardik have parted ways, and the five-time champions are reportedly entertaining interest from other franchises for his possible trade.
Hardik Pandya joined MI in IPL 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma as captain in an unpopular decision. In his three seasons as captain, MI only qualified for the playoffs in IPL 2025, while finishing in the bottom two of the points table in the other two seasons.
With MI failing to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2026 as well, Hardik could move to another team for the upcoming season.
As per many media reports, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the two franchises most interested in Hardik Pandya. CSK wants better balance in their playing XI, while KKR will want Pandya to not only bring balance to their squad but also captain the side as well.
Hardik reportedly contacted the Gujarat Titans (GT) about a possible transfer earlier this week, but the deal fell through due to his captaincy. Hardik had led Gujarat Titans in its first two seasons in the IPL, captaining the team to the title in 2022 and the final in 2023. However, he then quit GT to return to Mumbai Indians (MI).
Even without the captaincy, R Ashwin stated that he believes Hardik might return to GT.
"Hardik's outreach to GT is not a negative development. He really enjoyed his time there, and the best phase of his career came at GT, be it batting or captaincy. I still have a hunch that he'll go to GT. Hardik can really find a happy place to go back to if MI trades him to GT and they get a good package in return. He has had joyful memories with GT. He might even want to prove a point that despite not winning with MI this time, he can win again with GT. That tenacity and fight are what define a cricketer," Ashwin said about Hardik on his YouTube channel.
"GT is a great place for him to go to, given that it's a good batting wicket there and he has had great memories there. The team is also very good, with Shubman Gill captaining very well the last two years. So, I don't think he'll get the captaincy. But if given an opportunity, Hardik should consider going back to GT, and I feel there is a good chance of it happening," he added.
An official confirmation about Hardik Pandya is awaited. A high-profile trade has already taken place after IPL 2026, with Rishabh Pant returning to Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kuldeep Yadav joining Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).