These days, excitement regarding the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2027) has intensified in the Indian cricket world. New revelations are being made every day regarding players' auction, retention and trade window. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians captain and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya There is a lot of discussion in the market regarding the future of . According to reports, Hardik Pandya can leave Mumbai Indians and join any other franchise through a trade deal. Meanwhile, Team India's experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin Has made a big claim on his YouTube channel that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is completely out of this race and which franchise is leading in the race to add Hardik to their team.
Hardik Pandya's journey and captaincy ups and downs in Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya's IPL journey has been quite interesting. He started his career with Mumbai Indians and then became the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) and made the team champion in the very first season of his captaincy. The next year also his team reached the finals. However, at the end of 2023, he returned to Mumbai Indians through a trade deal and was made the new captain of the team in place of Rohit Sharma.
This second stint of Hardik as captain has not been very memorable for Mumbai. In the 2024 season, Mumbai Indians finished tenth in the points table, in 2025 the team reached the playoffs, but in the last edition (2026), the team's performance was again disappointing and it slipped to ninth place. Due to the poor performance of the team and pressure from the captaincy, it is now possible that Mumbai Indians and Hardik Pandya may part ways. Recently, after Mahela Jayawardene resigned from the post of head coach of Mumbai Indians, these speculations have gained further fuel.
Will Hardik go to Chennai Super Kings (CSK)? Ashwin rejected the possibility
For the last few days, there were continuous reports on social media that MS Dhoni himself can come forward and convince Hardik Pandya to join Chennai Super Kings (CSK). There was a lot of discussion among the fans that Hardik can be seen in yellow jersey.
But Ravichandran Ashwin has rejected all these speculations. While talking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin clearly said that, “It is being said that Dhoni himself will convince Hardik to come to CSK, but I personally feel that the chances of that happening are very less.” A major reason behind this is also believed to be that after Zaheer Khan joined the coaching setup of Mumbai Indians, there has been a change in the equations between Hardik and the management. In such a situation, there is little hope of his joining CSK.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) is at the forefront of the race to trade Hardik Pandya.
Ravichandran Ashwin took his point further and revealed that if Hardik Pandya leaves Mumbai Indians through the trade window, then which franchise is the frontrunner to include him in their team. According to Ashwin, according to the information received from inside Rajasthan Royals Is at the forefront of this race.
However, no official statement has come from any franchise or player yet. According to media reports, some time ago there was a discussion between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals regarding young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, although that matter did not progress further. Now it remains to be seen whether RR really succeeds in bringing Hardik into its fold or not.
KKR and LSG also set their sights on Hardik Pandya.
Apart from Rajasthan Royals, names of some other teams are also coming forward strongly in this trade discussion. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) also wants to include Hardik Pandya in their squad. After the retirement of Ajinkya Rahane, KKR is looking for an experienced and aggressive captain, and Hardik can fit the role perfectly.
Apart from this, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have also shown their keen interest in Hardik. Especially when the news of their captain Rishabh Pant returning to Delhi Capitals (DC) is coming out.
Retention list will have to be submitted by 15th November, auction will be held on 16th December
According to the rules of IPL 2027, all the franchises will have to Retention list till 15th November Will have to be deposited with BCCI. After this the trading window will remain open till exactly one week before the auction. According to Cricbuzz reports, mega or mini of IPL 2027 Auction this time on 16th December Can be organized. In such a situation, it will become clear in the coming few weeks whether Hardik Pandya remains with Mumbai Indians or comes on the field in a new jersey.