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Hardik Pandya to leave MI and join CSK?: Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is nearing its end with two games left in its knockout stage, and fans have already found one of their finalists, which is the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The second finalist will be between the winner of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT).
Before the next season, teams will look to release some of their players and trade them to other franchises, with one big name being Hardik Pandya. Amidst all this, former Chennai Super Kings batsman Subramaniam Badrinath has proposed a sensational trade option for the CSK and Mumbai Indians teams. He wants Hardik to captain the Men in Yellow.
I will trade if Hardik Pandya joins CSK- S Badrinath
Badrinath, from his perspective as MI management, would trade Shivam Dubey and Ayush Mhatre from the Men in Yellow to the Blues in exchange for landing Pandya in Chennai. He also believes that if Hardik Pandya wants the captaincy, then considering his special relationship with MS Dhoni, he should be given the captaincy.
“If I am MI, I will trade Hardik from CSK for Shivam Dubey and Ayush Mhatre. The core trio of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya will take the CSK brand to a different level. There is also no set rule that Samson should be made the captain of CSK. If Hardik demands the captaincy, I will make him the captain of CSK because of his excellent relationship with MS Dhoni.”
“Hardik has at least three great seasons. He will give CSK incredible balance to the point where they can build the team around him. It will also help Hardik if he goes to CSK instead of any other franchise, because CSK can boost your image to a different level.”
Will Hardik leave MI next season?
Hardik has failed to lead Mumbai Indians in his second stint at the franchise since 2024. In his first season as captain, he finished bottom after leading GT to two consecutive finals. Last season he led the team to the playoffs but failed to qualify for the finals and this season too under his leadership his team finished 9th in the league table.
Pandya’s overall win percentage as a captain is around 42%. He has led the franchise in 33 matches, winning 14 and losing 19. As a player this season, he also failed to score runs and take wickets, averaging less than 23 and an economy of 11.42 in 10 matches for the team.
So once Hardik is removed from the picture – Subramaniam Badrinath
Badrinath believes that MI will be a strong team with and without Hardik Pandya so they can appoint someone like Tilak Verma, Jasprit Bumrah or Suryakumar Yadav as captain for the next season.
Badrinath said, “The way Hardik came to MI from GT and became captain is one of the main reasons why MI should trade Hardik Pandya. Rohit Sharma has played for 15 years and given you five titles and he is Mumbai’s darling. Ever since Hardik made him captain, something is not right with MI. So once Hardik is removed from the picture, MI is still an exceptional team.”
“Just remove Hardik Pandya and make one of Tilak Verma, Jasprit Bumrah or Suryakumar Yadav the captain. It is not Hardik’s fault, but his desire for captaincy has affected the dynamics of the team.”
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