MI and PBKS made Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh swap in a straight trade.
But S. Badrinath, who used to play cricket for the Chennai Super Kings, said that for Hardik, there would not be any advantage because he will not be the captain. Punjab has been captained by Shreyas Iyer, under whom they made it to the finals in the IPL 2025 season.
“For Hardik Pandya, he is probably not in a great win-win situation. He won’t be captain. There were talks that he would only move if he was offered captaincy. He might not be able to do that now and won’t have a say. This is the last year before the mega auction. Punjab will definitely retain him. So, he will be retained in that price bracket. If he went to auction, he could go for more. So, he will lose out there. So, it is a good trade for MI, a good trade for PBKS, a good trade for Arshdeep, but for Hardik, it is an ok trade, not so super. That’s my opinion,” Badrinath said in a video on his YouTube channel.
However, Badrinath also stated that, as a player, PBKS have gotten a gem in Hardik Pandya, and so has MI with Arshdeep Singh, given the attributes that they will bring to their respective sides.
“Hardik Pandya is the biggest all-rounder in the world for Punjab Kings. The only thing is that he will play under Shreyas as captain. We all know that he won’t be captain. But a super buy. An all-rounder. He has experience. A good hitter down the order. Arshdeep is probably among the best death bowlers in India right now. I think it is a big positive for Mumbai Indians, as he is a left-armer, bowls well, is at his peak, and is playing for the Indian team. So, it is a win-win for both teams,” he said.
All ten franchises have until November 17 to share the final list of player releases and retentions before the IPL 2027 auction is held on December 16 in Goa.