Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu believes all-rounder Hardik Pandya might have felt cornered when he returned to the team in IPL 2024 and was made captain. As a leader, Pandya could not deliver the goods as the franchise qualified for the playoffs on a solitary occasion in the last three seasons.
Amid all the trade rumors, Rayudu wants Pandya to continue playing with Mumbai Indians but not as a leader in IPL 2027. Pandya is also struggling with injury woes and last played competitive cricket in IPL 2026.
Rayudu said on Cricbuzz, “In Mumbai, I just thought that Hardik felt as if he was cornered. And once you feel you’re cornered, you’re always looking over your shoulder. Once that happens in a dressing room, you tend to just come out in ways that you wouldn’t want to. A lot of things didn’t go well for Hardik. It might be Hardik’s fault as well as something else.
“From now on, if he wants to stay at MI, I don’t think he should be the captain. He should just play his game, enjoy his time, and be a match-winner for MI. But if he goes out, definitely not a captain again, at least for one season.”
On the other hand, the former CSK batter downvoted the idea of Pandya leading Kolkata Knight Riders in the next season. KKR’s former captain Ajinkya Rahane has announced his retirement and the franchise will need to announce a new captain for the next season.
Rayudu concluded, “I think either Punjab or CSK because these are the two teams he’ll go but he’ll not captain, and he’ll find a very, very good space in terms of his cricket. But with KKR, there’s so much on the plate that he needs to assess and take things forward because they need a captain. It’s not an easy team to captain right now.”
IPL 2027 auction will be held in Goa in mid-December.
