Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has suggested a few potential trades after the conclusion of IPL 2026. Chopra reckons Delhi Capitals can ask Mumbai Indians to trade KL Rahul with Hardik Pandya.
On Tuesday, Delhi Capitals traded Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow Super Giants in exchange for Rishabh Pant. Recently it was reported that Mumbai Indians could release Hardik Pandya after the star all-rounder could not deliver the goods in IPL 2026.
Chopra reckons Kolkata Knight Riders would look to acquire KL Rahul in exchange of either Varun Chakravarthy or Harshit Rana but DC might want to trade with Mumbai Indians.
“If KKR say that you can take either Varun Chakaravarthy or Harshit Rana from them, and give them KL Rahul, can that happen? Since Kuldeep has left, they would need another spinner. Can they get anyone better than Varun Chakaravarthy? Can they actually let go of Varun Chakaravarthy or Harshit Rana and ask for KL Rahul so that their wicketkeeper, captain, and opener get sorted out with just one guy?” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Delhi can think about talking to Mumbai instead of Kolkata. Mumbai will like KL Rahul a lot. They will get an opener. They will need a successor for Rohit Sharma at some stage. He has an excellent record in Mumbai. Since the rumor market is hot that Hardik Pandya is leaving, what if he comes to Delhi? An all-rounder, medium pace, batting, small ground, and a flat pitch. The pitch will suit him,” he added.
On the other hand, Chopra believes Mumbai Indians might want to rope in Yashasvi Jaiswal from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Hardik Pandya.
“However, Mumbai might say they don’t want to talk to Delhi, and instead talk to Rajasthan. We will give you Hardik Pandya, and you give us Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yashasvi, a Mumbai boy at the Mumbai ground. A future prospect, that’s what Mumbai is known for, and maybe Yashasvi wants to leave, and Hardik Pandya can come there, and they can get a middle-order batter,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer reckons RR might look to acquire Rinku Singh from KKR while trading Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“Rajasthan might think about talking to Kolkata and not Mumbai. Give us Rinku Singh and take Yashasvi Jaiswal from us. You will get an Indian opener and destructive batter in Yashasvi Jaiswal. We need Rinku Singh because we don’t have a middle-order batter, and you don’t use Rinku that well,” Chopra concluded.
