The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Mumbai Indians (MI) are parting ways with their captain for the last three seasons, Hardik Pandya, and reports have stated that they have two feelers for a trade. One offer is from Kolkata Knight Riders, and another is from Rajasthan Royals.

An IPL insider with knowledge of the development, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the owners of the Mumbai Indians and the top management of KKR have had numerous conversations about a trade.

With just one play-off appearance under his direction, Pandya's second stint with the Mumbai Indians has been turbulent.

"Ajinkya Rahane was always a stop-gap arrangement for KKR, and he was always going to be released after this season. The KKR top brass had approached MI owners towards the end of last season, but since Reliance's Annual AGM was around the corner, at that time, IPL trade wasn't the biggest priority. However, it has been learned that KKR has again approached MI's top leadership, and there have been a few rounds of discussion," the source informed PTI.

The captaincy is undoubtedly up for grabs if Pandya joins KKR, either through a trade-off or an all-cash transaction, since Rinku Singh doesn't seem like a good fit right now.

When asked if MI wants a trade-off or an all-cash deal for the star India all-rounder, the source was unable to provide an answer.  The IPL transfer rule makes it very clear that a player cannot explore a trade with any other team on an individual basis.

The rule states that it is only a franchise-to-franchise discussion that can happen, but it is also stated that without a player's consent, there can't be a trade.

The second offer is from Rajasthan Royals, who are willing to trade Yashasvi Jaiswal for Hardik Pandya, but there is no certainty as talks have likely not progressed to an advanced stage. With Riyan Parag being groomed as long-term captain by RR management, captaincy is unlikely to come to Hardik Pandya.

(PTI inputs)