Shortly after joining their new sides for the upcoming IPL season, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh both addressed their new franchises after the blockbuster trade official on Wednesday, 11 November. Pandya switched sides to Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Arshdeep departed home town team to join Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of IPL 2027.
Taking to Instagram, Hardik pledged his support to PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, coach Ricky Ponting and the team. Opening the post with Punjabi greeting “Sat Sri Akal,” he called Iyer “my captain” and Ponting “my coach,” before adding, “I am standing behind you.”
Arshdeep taking to X sent a message to his new team in a video on X. “MI paltan, duniya hila denge,” he said, which roughly translates to “MI fans, we will shake the world.”
Hardik joined PBKS at a fee of Rs 18 crore, higher from Rs 16.35 crore, while Arshdeep swiped sides to MI at his existing Rs 18 crore price. Hardik won four IPL titles with MI and returned to the franchise in 2024 as captain. His second stint was underwhelming: he scored 647 runs in 39 matches at an average of 21.53 and took 29 wickets. MI finished bottom in 2024 and ninth in 2026, though they did reach the playoffs in 2025. MI won 15 of the 39 matches he captained, Cricinfo reported.
Arshdeep is known for new-ball breakthroughs and death-over bowling. Former India pacer Irfan Pathan called MI the clear winners of the deal. The franchise must still find a new captain for IPL 2027 and replace an experienced all-rounder.
At PBKS, Hardik adds middle-order power and bowling options, and his experience as the captain who led Gujarat Titans to the 2022 title could strengthen the leadership group.