One of the biggest swaps of IPL involving active Indian players is set to take place. Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh are set to trade sides for the upcoming IPL. Mumbai Indians will now have a new captain as the 5-time IPL champions are set to trade Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings in exchange for left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh.
As per sources, both the franchises placed an Expressions of Interest (EoIs) as part of the process prescribed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the trade is underway. Up next will be a written consent from the players, which is likely to take place in the next 24 hours. Once that is done, both the franchises will conduct final negotiations before the trade is ratified by the IPL.
Reports reveal Hardik had a number of deliberations with MI since the latter part of IPL 2026 before the all-rounder told the franchise he wanted to be released. With the exception of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians had chats with virtually all the other teams for a viable trade.
Arshdeep Singh’s PBKS record
For the first time, Arshdeep will play for a team other than PBKS in the IPL. Having made a debut in 2019, the left arm quick took 111 wickets in 96 matches and an economy rate of 9.18. Yash Thakur and Vijaykumar Vyshak are the other two Indian seamers at PBKS.
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy record at MI
This is the second time in the past 3 years that Hardik has been a part of trade. Ahead of IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians bought Hardik from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal and appointed him as captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, who had led the franchises to the 5 IPL titles. Hardik’s return promised MI a long-term captain and a match-winning all-rounder, but he struggled on both the fronts. During his three-year captaincy, MI finished last in 2024 and made the playoffs the following season and were once again inconsistent the latest year.
In all the 39 matches played by Hardik as captain since 2024, MI won 15 and lost 24. Hardik’s win-loss ratio of 0.65 at MI is the worst as a captain and captain of a team in the IPL. In contrast to his captaincy record at GT is stark. That win-loss ratio of 2.444 is among the best in the IPL, marginally behind RCB’s Rajat Patidar.
MI revamp team management
Reportedly, MI has also revamped its team management ahead of IPL, with Kieron Pollard taking over as the head coach and Robin Uthappa batting coach, Mitchell McClenaghan as the bowling coach and T. Dilip as the fielding coach.