The Hardik Pandya trade saga appears to be coming to an end, with Punjab Kings (PBSK) set to acquire his services from Mumbai Indians (MI), with pacer Arshdeep Singh going the other way. The move is likely to see Hardik forgo his captaincy as PBKS have achieved success with Shreyas Iyer, India's current T20I captain, at the wheel. Former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund has raised questions regarding how the scenario at Punjab Kings will pan out between Hardik and Shreyas.
Reflecting on the potential Hardik-Arshdeep trade, Abhinav Mukund questioned Punjab Kings' motive behind the deal, and also talked about the dynamic between Hardik and Shreyas.
"It is very interesting because when you look back at the mega auction, they chose to spend a bulk of their money on three big players like Arshdeep, Shreyas and (Yuzvendra) Chahal. So, if you don't have faith in that core and want a better core to be retained, that's where the all-rounder question comes in," Mukund said on JioStar's 'Game Plan'.
"It's a great deal for Mumbai, but it's also a questionable deal for Punjab Kings because if Hardik comes to Punjab, does he play as just an all-rounder? Because I would think that he would play under Shreyas Iyer.
"So, there is that team dynamics question as well. Once again, is he okay with it? Has Shreyas had conversations about it? These are all things done behind closed doors," Mukund questioned.
Hardik Pandya was at the centre of one of the biggest captaincy shifts in IPL history, when he returned to Mumbai Indians in late 2023 and took over the role from Rohit Sharma. That move has not worked out, with MI finishing rock-bottom in IPL 2024 and ninth in IPL 2026.
Recently, multiple reports claimed that Hardik Pandya is happy to play under Shreyas at Punjab Kings.
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