The biggest IPL trade of the off-season is close to done. Hardik Pandya is set to leave Mumbai Indians for Punjab Kings, with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh moving the other way. According to an IPL source quoted by IANS, the paperwork for the swap has been completed, and the deal now needs formal approval from the BCCI and the IPL governing council before it is announced.
The final amount involved will be disclosed once that approval comes. With the retention deadline on November 17, the official word should not be far away.
How the deal came together
Punjab Kings were not the only team interested. Earlier this month, reports said PBKS had moved ahead of Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the race for Hardik. Wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod was at one stage part of the discussions, but a source has since said he is no longer in the deal. It is a straight swap of two India players.
Shreyas Iyer is expected to stay on as Punjab Kings captain, and Hardik is reported to be comfortable playing under him. That would make it the first time in years that Hardik joins a team without leading it.
A difficult second stint at Mumbai
Hardik’s IPL story began at Mumbai Indians in 2015, where he won multiple titles as a young all-rounder. He then left to captain the new Gujarat Titans franchise, and led them to the title in their very first season in 2022.
Mumbai brought him back before IPL 2024 in an all-cash deal and handed him the captaincy in place of Rohit Sharma. The move split the fan base from day one. Results did not help: in 39 matches as MI captain, Hardik won 15 and lost 24. MI finished at the bottom of the table in 2024 and ninth in IPL 2026.
He has also struggled with fitness. Hardik has not played competitive cricket since IPL 2026 because of injuries, most recently a shin problem. Punjab will be hoping a fresh start gets the best out of one of India’s few genuine pace-bowling all-rounders.
What Mumbai get in Arshdeep
Arshdeep has been a Punjab player since IPL 2019 and became one of the franchise’s most loyal faces. He is India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals and is currently with the national team in New Zealand for the ODI series.
For Mumbai, he fills a clear need: a left-arm seamer who can bowl with the new ball and at the death. Both Arshdeep and Hardik were part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squads in 2024 and 2026, so this is a trade between two proven big-match players.
Other moves before the deadline
The Hardik-Arshdeep swap is not the only trade making news.
- CSK and SRH completed a four-player trade on November 5. Liam Livingstone moves to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 6 crore, down from the Rs 13 crore SRH paid for him, and Australian all-rounder Jack Edwards joins CSK for Rs 3 crore. Khaleel Ahmed (Rs 4.8 crore) and Nathan Ellis (Rs 2 crore) go to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants are reportedly discussing a larger multi-player deal, also awaiting council approval.
- Punjab Kings had looked at trading Marcus Stoinis for LSG’s Mohsin Khan, but are now likely to keep Stoinis.
Key dates for IPL 2027
The retention deadline is November 17. It was moved from an earlier date that clashed with India’s fifth ODI against New Zealand on November 15. The mini-auction will be held in Goa on December 16.
Once the retention lists are out, we will know how much money each franchise has left and which big names go into the auction pool. For now, the image of Hardik Pandya in Punjab red is the one fans are trying to get used to.
Reporting based on IANS via AP7AM, Telangana Today and Siasat.
Featured image: Aravind Sivaraj, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
