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Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians skipper, is likely to part ways with the franchise following a terrible season in 2026, where the team failed to bounce back after a horrific start. He, as an all-rounder, also underperformed with both bat and ball.
The Mumbai Indians are obviously knocked out of this season of the competition after their defeat against the defending champions RCB. MI are most likely to part ways with some players as they aim to revamp their squad ahead of the next season, and skipper Hardik Pandya is likely the first one to be released.
Hardik Pandya has reportedly made calls aiming for a massive trade ahead of IPL 2027
As per several claims from senior journalists across India, the Mumbai Indians skipper is likely to be removed from his role of captaincy next season. He has not played the last two games for MI, with Suryakumar Yadav stepping in as the skipper.
Some reports backed by RevSportz revealed that Pandya has made calls to several team owners and has shown the willingness to be available for a possible trade ahead of the upcoming season. The trade window will be a massive watch, as Hardik has never been in a live auction before.
This came after Hardik had failed to surpass 150 runs despite having played eight games for MI this season and had picked only four wickets while bowling with an economy of 11.90 this season.
Hardik Pandya likely to be bought for 25+ crore bracket: Reports
As per some latest reports, despite Hardik's insistence, not many possibilities are building around another possible trade for the cricketer, who has never been part of an auction since his debut in 2015, where he was signed for INR 10 lakhs as a young uncapped all-rounder by the Mumbai Indians.
He truly achieved a lot to make his way this far in his career, as he is likely to be sought after and bought for that massive INR 25+ bracket if he enters the upcoming auction for IPL 2027. Only three players have bought for such a high amount in former auctions.
Some reports have also claimed that CSK and KKR will be among teams with massive purses in the IPL auction and citing that teams would have a mega-auction again next season they might not back away from investing keenly on the Indian all-rounder.
Sources say Hardik Pandya won’t be traded on the player’s insistence. Hardik will be keenly sought and likely to be bought for same 25+ bracket. Remember Lucknow, CSK and KKR will be sitting with a purse in excess of 30-40 crore. And it’s a small auction. For one year only. Teams…
— G. S. Vivek (@GSV1980) May 13, 2026
Is Hardik incapable of handling 'superstars' as a captain?
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and national selector Ajit Agarkar were criticized for not having appointed Hardik Pandya as the skipper of the Indian team after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of international cricket.
Hardik Pandya has surely struggled whenever he has had to tackle many superstars under his captaincy. The 2022 and '23 seasons for the Gujarat Titans, when he led them to two successive finals and an IPL title as well, he performed promisingly, as he did not have many big names in the squad and were an underdog side.
Ever since his return to the Mumbai Indians as a captain of the side, his form in the IPL has dipped significantly, while the five-time champions have ended at the bottom of the points table twice in three seasons. This has exposed Hardik's poor management of superstars in the team.
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