Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to leave Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2027. His return to the franchise hasnโt been successful and following which, both the franchise and the player are planning to part ways. In regard to that, the five-time champions have reportedly been in talks with multiple IPL franchises, such as Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, but no deal has been struck.
In the meantime, Hardik reached out to his former team Gujarat Titans over a possible move ahead of the next summer. However, as per reports, the 2022 champions have rejected him, especially after Shubman Gill established himself as a dependable leader.ย
It is understood that Hardik wants captaincy in whichever franchise he moves on to. For the same reason, Gujarat are not interested in the trade talk now.ย
โThe franchise was fine with him making a return. They had even discussed the same with its captain Shubman Gill, and he, too, had agreed that the franchise could trade him back. But when his condition of captaincy was put up, everyone said no to it,โ a source told Indian Express.ย
Notably, Gill currently leads India in two of the three formats. He is leading the national team in the ongoing World Test Championship and will also lead in the ODI World Cup 2027. At such a juncture, the franchise doesnโt want to change hands and bring complications, something that Mumbai faced when Hardik was brought in and was handed the captaincy in 2023.ย
Hardik denied trade rumours
The report also clarified that Hardikโs representative has denied any sort of chat with Gujarat or that the all-rounder had directly approached any IPL franchise regarding a move.
โHardik Pandya had no direct conversation with any franchise whatsoever regarding transfer trade, or otherwise. If any approach has been made to him, that has been directed to the MI franchise,โ Pandyaโs spokesperson said.
Whatโs in store for Suryakumar Yadav?
After winning the T20 World Cup as India captain, Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from Indiaโs playing XI. Especially as he had a very subpar IPL 2026. Keeping that in mind, Mumbai are also open to trading the player, as various reports suggest. However, they are yet to receive a worthy offer. Thereโs still time though for all the franchises to explore the possibility, as it is very much possible that both Suryakumar and Hardik leave Mumbai ahead of the next season.ย
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