Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won their second trophy in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 for the second consecutive season, defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final, becoming only the third team after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) to retain the trophy. Ahead of the next season, CSK have provided a big update on Hardik Pandya.
CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The five-time champions are stuck at a new low in their amazing legacy in the tournament. This season under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Men in Yellow finished 8th in the points table with only 6 wins and 8 draws. Fans were not happy with the team’s performance in the last few seasons.
“Whatever is being said about Hardik and CSK is a lie” – Kasi Viswanathan on possible trade of Hardik Pandya
Ahead of the next season, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has shared a major update on the team review, as many fans and former cricketers believe that Ruturaj Gaikwad should be removed from the captaincy, and Sanju Samson should be handed the leadership role. However, Kasi Vishwanathan said that there has been no IPL review for the Yellow Army.
Furthermore, the CSK CEO provided a big update on the rumor of Hardik Pandya joining the Men in Yellow team in a trade deal with Mumbai Indians, in which two players, Shivam Dubey and Ayush Mhatre, were to be traded to Mumbai, and Hardik Pandya, who had a poor season as captain, will be joining CSK in IPL 2027.
Speaking to RevSportz, Kasi Viswanathan said, “CSK has not even reviewed the season yet and we will do so only after the MLC is completed. I am in the US at the moment. We have not spoken to anyone and whatever is being said about Hardik and CSK is false.”
Hardik Pandya ready to leave Mumbai Indians
Hardik’s second stint in MI was not good. He returned to the franchise in 2024 on an all-cash deal after leading GT to an IPL title and finals in two back-to-back seasons while playing for the franchise. However, in his first season since joining Mumbai the team finished bottom of the table.
The 2024 season was the worst year ever in franchise history; The following year, the team qualified for the playoffs, but lost to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2. This season, they finished 9th, still failing to qualify for the playoffs, which also drew heavy criticism on Harden’s mentality and man management.
MI spokesperson has given an update on the team’s review but did not say anything about Hardik.
“As with any review of this nature, a number of options and considerations will be evaluated before any decisions are made in relation to the players, we are not currently involved in negotiations regarding the trade of players, this will only be possible once the review has been completed.”
Many more to follow….
