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The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning the second trophy in consecutive seasons, beating the 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 massive update on Hardik Pandya.
CSK did not qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The five-time champions have been stuck at a new low in their amazing legacy in the tournament. The Men in Yellow, this season under Ruturaj Gaikwad, finished 8th in the points table with just 6 wins and 8 draws. The fans were not happy with the team’s performances from the last few seasons.
"All that is being said about Hardik and CSK is untrue"- Kasi Vishwanathan on possible Hardik Pandya trade
Ahead of the next season, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has shared a massive update on the team’s review, as many fans and former cricketers believed that Ruturaj Gaikwad should be dropped from captaincy, and Sanju Samson should be handed the leadership role. However, Kasi Viswanathan stated that the review of the IPL for the Yellow Army has not taken place.
Apart from that, the CSK CEO provided a massive update on the rumour of Hardik Pandya possibly joining the Men in Yellow side in a trade deal from Mumbai Indians, in which two players, Shivam Dube and Ayush Mhatre, were to be traded to Mumbai, and Hardik Pandya, who had a poor season as captain, would be joining CSK in IPL 2027.
While speaking with RevSportz, Kasi Vishwanathan said, “CSK has not even done the review of the season yet and we will only do so after the MLC is complete. I am currently in the US. We have not spoken to anyone and all that is being said about Hardik and CSK is untrue”.
Hardik Pandya set to leave Mumbai Indians
Hardik’s second stint in MI did not turn out to be the best. He returned to the franchise back in 2024 in an all-cash deal after leading GT to one IPL title and a final in two back-to-back seasons, while featuring for the franchise. However, since joining Mumbai in his first season, the team finished at the bottom of the table.
The 2024 season was the worst ever year in the franchise’s history; the following year, the team qualified for the playoffs but lost to the Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2. This season, they also finished 9th, yet again failing to qualify for the playoffs, which provided heavy criticism over Hardik’s mentality and man management as well.
MI stays silent on Hardik Pandya's transfer saga
MI spokesperson has provided an update on the team's review, but they did not speak anything about Hardik as such. The person stated that anything regarding the player will be taken down into consideration before making any decisions.
"As with any review of this nature, a range of options and ideas will be evaluated before any decisions are made with regard to players, currently we are not engaged in conversations with regard to player trades, the same is only possible once the review is complete."
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