Cricket
oi-Ashish Rana
Hardik Pandya is set to leave Mumbai Indians and join Punjab Kings after the two franchises agreed to exchange him for left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. The reported deal comes ahead of the IPL auction later this month and is expected to bring significant changes to the team combinations of both sides.
Hardik Pandya is exchanged from Mumbai Indians to Punjab Kings for Arshdeep Singh in a completed trade before the IPL auction, concluding Pandya’s second captaincy stint with Mumbai and placing him under Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer.
According to an IPL source, the trade has already been completed. The source also revealed that Hardik is happy with the prospect of working under Shreyas Iyer, who is expected to remain Punjab Kings’ captain.
Hardik Pandya Joins Punjab Kings
“The trade has been completed. Hardik is going to Punjab Kings and Arshdeep is moving to Mumbai Indians. Hardik is happy to play under Shreyas Iyer.
“It was the decision of the captain and the coach to trade Hardik for Arshdeep, who has been with Punjab Kings for a very long time and has become the player he is today following his success with the franchise.
“For the owners, it was not an easy decision considering how Arshdeep has risen and performed so well for the franchise. However, the captain and the coach went ahead with this decision, and that is it.”
Mumbai Indians End Second Stint With Hardik Pandya
The move brings an end to Hardik’s second stint with Mumbai Indians, having returned to the franchise in the 2024 season as captain, replacing long-serving skipper Rohit Sharma.
However, the move did not go according to plan, with the five-time champions failing to qualify for the play-offs twice in the three seasons since Hardik took over the leadership.
