Former India batter Ambati Rayudu wants all-rounder Hardik Pandya not to captain any of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises for at least a year. Rayudu discussed Hardik's next franchise, as Mumbai Indians (MI) are expected to trade him. Hardik feels either Punjab Kings (PBKS) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be a good fit for him. He doesn’t want Hardik to go to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) because he feels Hardik will have a lot on his plate as the franchise’s captain.
"I think either Punjab or CSK, because these are the two teams he could go to, but he shouldn't be captain. He'll find a very good space there in terms of his cricket. But with KKR, there's so much on the plate that he needs to assess and take things forward because they need a captain. It's not an easy team to captain right now," Rayudu said during a discussion on Hardik trade on Cricbuzz.
All trade options explained
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane has announced his retirement from IPL cricket. Rinku Singh was the vice-captain of the three-time IPL-winning franchise, but he is unlikely to lead. KKR may go into the mini-auction searching for a captain.
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Had they tried to rope in Hardik, they would’ve had a few options. Cameron Green for Hardik made sense, but the Australian all-rounder may not be available for the entire duration of IPL 2026. Also, he has not been able to contribute with the bat. For Hardik, MI would've wanted Rinku Singh and Harshit Rana or Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Varun Chakaravarthy. So far, KKR are not in the race to rope in India’s two-time T20 World Cup-winning all-rounder.
Rayudu feels Hardik can be a good fit at CSK. Unless it is an all-cash deal, CSK don’t have much to offer in return. MI need bowlers, and Khaleel Ahmed would've been a good fit. But, in addition, CSK don't have much to offer without disturbing the balance of their side. Ravichandran Ashwin had said that CSK can offer Shivam Dube and Ayush Mhatre, or Dube with Nathan Ellis for Hardik. He also felt that as many as three players -- Dube, Ellis and Urvil Patel -- for Hardik would be a good deal for both teams. But CSK are not the current frontrunners to rope in the 32-year-old all-rounder.
PBKS are in a position to make a straightforward deal. Their pace attack will take a hit, but they would gain a dependable all-rounder should they choose to trade Arshdeep Singh for Hardik. MI can even ask for an uncapped player to sweeten the deal. Either way, it can be a win-win situation for both franchises.
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What if MI opt not to trade Hardik?
If any of the trades don’t materialise, MI have the option to retain Hardik. However, they would not want them to captain. MI can also cause major disruption in the mini-auction if they release Hardik. His name would start a multi-way bidding war. MI can benefit from a heavy purse after Hardik’s bid is completed and invest in a good pace attack.
"From now on, if he wants to stay at MI, I don't think he should be the captain. He should just play his game, enjoy his time, and be a match-winner for MI. But if he goes out, definitely not a captain again, at least for one season," Rayudu said on the possibility of Hardik continuing in blue and gold jersey.
Did Hardik felt cornered in MI dressing room?
MI had a horrible run in the previous IPL edition. They barely avoided the wooden spoon. Injuries to key players plagued the franchise, plenty of players were used, but the team never looked settled despite having quality options. They were knocked out of the playoffs race early. Rayudu says that Hardik could’ve felt cornered in the MI dressing room. The six-time IPL winner did not say whose fault it was, but it affected Hardik.
"In Mumbai, I just thought that Hardik felt as if he was cornered. And once you feel you're cornered, you're always looking over your shoulder. Once that happens in a dressing room, you tend to come out in ways that you wouldn't want to. A lot of things didn't go well for Hardik. It might be Hardik's fault as well as something else," the 41-year-old said.
Hardik yet to be back in action
Meanwhile, Hardik has not played a single game since IPL 2026. There are concerns over his fitness, but that does not seem to affect his value to the franchises. He has been training at the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, trying to attain match fitness.
Hardik has been backed by India ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill to make a comeback via domestic cricket. He was named in India A’s One-Day squad against Australia A but could not regain fitness in time. There is no official timeline for his return.
It was also reported that the all-rounder will not be fit before the Sri Lanka white-ball series followed by the Zimbabwe ODI series early next year. Since India will play the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home, Hardik may make a comeback to competitive cricket directly in IPL 2027.
If Hardik is given the green light at CoE, there is also a chance that he fulfils Gill’s criteria and makes a few appearances in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026 or Vijay Hazare Trophy 2026-27.
Hardik is crucial to India’s plans for the ODI World Cup 2027 on South Africa soil. His previous ODI appearance was in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand. The last time he played a List A game was for Baroda against Chandigarh in January 2026, where he scored 75 runs from just 31 balls and then took three wickets. His previous T20I appearance was against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final.