Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has named several franchises that could sign Hardik Pandya if the Mumbai Indians (MI) decide to trade their captain ahead of IPL 2027. Ashwin picked CSK, KKR, RR, GT and PBKS as the potential teams that would be interested in roping in Pandya.
Hardik has been linked with a potential move to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) following Mumbai’s disappointing IPL 2026 campaign. However, Ashwin believes other franchises could also emerge as potential destinations for the all-rounder.
Ashwin said Kolkata Knight Riders will also provide a captaincy option for Pandya. KKR’s former captain Ajinkya Rahane has announced his retirement, and they are yet to name a new skipper.
Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “KKR have great potential because Hardik can also become the captain there. They could offer Varun Chakaravarthy for him. But as long as Abhishek Nayar is there, I don’t think Varun will move from KKR. Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh could be other options. With RR, it could be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sam Curran, or Brijesh Sharma or Tushar Deshpande. It could also be Jaiswal with Yash Raj Punja or Bishnoi.”
“MI desperately needs an Indian keeper. They will also look to strengthen their bowling, which has been dismal the last few years. PBKS with Omarzai could interest MI. No one is talking about GT, but they could get involved by giving Rashid Khan for Hardik.”
Meanwhile, the former CSK all-rounder believes Lucknow Super Giants aren’t in the race for Hardik Pandya.
“There are as many as six teams in battle for Hardik Pandya, is what I hear. But I don’t think that’s the case, as LSG aren’t in the race. It’s mainly CSK, KKR, RR, GT and PBKS. I also think captaincy isn’t a must for Hardik anymore in his next franchise. He will just want to go to the ideal franchise for him, as he’s keen to move on from MI,” said Ashwin (via the aforementioned source).
IPL 2027 auction will be held in mid-December.
