Ahead of the IPL 2027 auction, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has linked Hardik Pandya to prominent franchises like Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Rumours are rife that Hardik will part ways with Mumbai Indians (MI) following a disastrous IPL 2026 campaign, where the franchise finished ninth on the 10-team points table with just 4 wins from 14 matches.
The 33-year-old returned to his old IPL team in the leadership capacity ahead of the 2024 season. However, he was booed at MI's home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, primarily because he replaced the legendary and beloved captain, Rohit Sharma.
The booing intensified as MI struggled on the field, finishing at the very bottom of the points table in 2024. Though the team reached the playoffs in 2025, further struggles in 2026 led to calls for his removal from the captaincy role.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin suggested that a move to KKR would be good for Hardik as the three-time champions could also offer him captaincy.
“KKR have great potential because Hardik can also become the captain there. They could offer Varun Chakaravarthy for him. But as long as Abhishek Nayar is there, I don’t think Varun will move from KKR. Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh could be other options. With RR (Rajasthan Royals), it could be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sam Curran, or Brijesh Sharma or Tushar Deshpande. It could also be Jaiswal with Yash Raj Punja or Bishnoi,” Ashwin said.
He also narrowed down the rumored list of interested franchises in the race for Hardik’s acquisition.
“There are as many as six teams in battle for Hardik Pandya, is what I hear. But I don’t think that’s the case, as LSG aren’t in the race. It’s mainly CSK (Chennai Super Kings), KKR, RR, GT (Gujarat Titans) and PBKS (Punjab Kings). I also think captaincy isn’t a must for Hardik anymore in his next franchise. He will just want to go to the ideal franchise for him, as he’s keen to move on from MI,” Ashwin added.
On a personal front, Hardik Pandya had a below-par IPL 2026 season for MI. In 10 matches, he scored 206 runs at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.25. It was one of the lowest-scoring seasons of his career, with a top score of just 40. His impact with the ball was severely limited as he managed to pick up just 4 wickets during the tournament.
Additionally, the ace all-rounder had to sit out a few crucial games during the latter half of the season, notably dealing with recurring back spasms.
In the same video, Ashwin emphasized that Mumbai Indians have a critical gap for an Indian wicketkeeper-batter and need a complete overhaul or reinforcement of a bowling attack that has struggled for consistency in recent seasons.
“MI desperately need an Indian keeper. They will also look to strengthen their bowling, which has been dismal the last few years. PBKS with Omarzai could interest MI. No one is talking about GT, but they could get involved by giving Rashid Khan for Hardik,” he remarked.
