Hardik Pandya from MI to CSK? Super Kings CEO says player trade talks to start after MLC 2026

The high profile India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the few players who are highly likely to be up for trade ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027. After rumours of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entering the race to acquire Pandya’s services surfaced, the franchise’s CEO Kasi Viswanathan has cleared the air. Viswanathan didn’t deny being interested in Pandya but revealed that a review of CSK’s IPL 2026 campaign is pending. Any player trade talks will be initiated only after the Major League Cricket (MLC) where Texas Super Kings India's have won three out of their six games.

"We have not taken any decision, and it is definitely not on the table as yet. We are aware which player is up for trade and we will discuss it once we complete our review of the season, which will only be after the ongoing MLC. There is still a lot of time for that," Viswanathan told Cricbuzz.

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The report further revealed that a spokesperson of Mumbai Indians (MI) has denied talks of player trade. Like CSK, MI are also expected to engage in any trade talks until their review of a disappointing season is completed.

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Pandya was retained by the MI franchise for Rs 16.35 crore. Earlier, a report by TOI suggested that six franchises other than CSK are interested in roping in the all-rounder. It will be interesting to see whether it will be an all-cash deal or there will be other players involved.

So far, the only trade confirmed is Rishabh Pant leaving Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to go back to Delhi Capitals (DC). Pant took a Rs 12 crore paycut while LSG got Kuldeep Yadav from DC for his original fee of Rs 13.25 crore.

Who will lead MI?

While a review is still ongoing, reports last month had already claimed that Pandya made up his mind to leave the franchise midway through the season. Suryakumar Yadav is also not being looked at as his successor, especially after a lacklustre season with the bat. Reportedly, Rohit Sharma has suggested that Tilak Varma should lead MI. The youngster was part of the T20 Asia Cup 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026-winning squads. He has been named India’s T20I vice-captain and has already led India A a few times, most recently in a One-Day series in Sri Lanka.