Hardik Pandya led MI from IPL 2024 to 2026.
As per the report from The Telegraph, five-time IPL winners MI have demanded fast bowler Harshit Rana and young keeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi in return for Hardik Pandya. However, KKR is firm about not releasing certain key players in return for Pandya.
Three-time IPL champions KKR won't release any of their key spinners like Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, along with the finisher and vice-captain Rinku Singh, in return for Pandya.
The Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is least likely to be involved in any sort of trade deal, as it is not certain how many matches he'll play in the Indian Premier League this year due to workload management issues.
The same report stated that KKR’s interest in Hardik Pandya’s trade went down after initial talks with MI amid concerns over the all-rounder’s fitness and injuries. Notably, Hardik Pandya has not played any cricket since IPL 2026 due to a back spasm and subsequent calf injury. He is still in BCCI’s CoE, recovering from said ailments, and reportedly might not return to action till IPL 2027.
KKR are also apprehensive about MI’s demand for Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who top-scored for the franchise in IPL 2026, and Harshit Rana, who was a vital player in their IPL 2024 win. It is not clear whether KKR is willing to let them go for Hardik.
Negotiations are apparently scheduled to take place next week, but the position adopted by KKR regarding Raghuvanshi is the one that may play a decisive role in getting things done.
Apart from the Mumbai Indians (MI), the other two franchises rumoured to be involved in negotiations with Hardik Pandya's trade move are the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
While MI apparently wanted Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravi Bishnoi in return from RR, there has not been much success in that transaction.
On the other side, in case of a possible move with CSK, apparently MI wanted the gifted batter Ayush Mhatre, which was rejected by CSK.
(The Telegraph report)