Former India and Chennai Super Kings cricketer S Badrinath explained the dream situation for CSK franchise before the IPL 2027, if they managed to land both Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes in trade or in auction.
The Men in Yellow finished ninth with six victories in 14 games, missing the playoffs for the third straight year. Hardik Pandya, the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), may be on the move, meanwhile, since the five-time IPL winners had a similarly disappointing IPL 2026 season, placing eighth in the rankings.
Ben Stokes, an all-rounder for England, just announced his retirement from international cricket, making him a potentially alluring choice for IPL teams.
"MI won't give away Hardik Pandya for nothing. They'll want atleast two players in return. CSK should trade Shivam Dube for Hardik as an all-rounder swap. It'll be a dream situation for CSK if they can land Hardik and get Ben Stokes. CSK will be in the discussions for Hardik but they probably just don't want to reveal it for now.
It looks like all teams except RCB and SRH are interested in Hardik Pandya. There's no smoke without fire. So, these reports suggest that the Mumbai Indians are ready to trade him. Being a high-quality all-rounder, the ideal team for Hardik Pandya will be KKR. They need an all-rounder, a captain and a senior player, making him the ideal fit there,” Badrinath stated on his YouTube channel.
KKR also missed the playoffs in last two IPL seasons under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy and will be looking for a new captain.
Assuming Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes to be on the team, Subramaniam Badrinath designed a dream CSK playing XII for IPL 2027.
After a top five of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, and Dewald Brevis, the former CSK batter had the two all-rounders complete the top seven.
With the renowned MS Dhoni as the Impact Player, Badrinath selected Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, and Khaleel Ahmed as his final four. Shivam Dube, whom Badrinath believed to be the player traded to MI for Hardik, was not included in the roster.
S Badrinath's dream CSK playing 12 for IPL 2027:
Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Ben Stokes, Hardik Pandya, Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, MS Dhoni (impact player)
