"Will solve a huge bowling problem for them" - Former Indian cricketer delivers massive verdict on potential Arshdeep-Hardik trade ahead of IPL 2027

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) come out ahead in the proposed trade that would send Arshdeep Singh to the five-time champions, with Hardik Pandya going to the Punjab Kings (PBKS), arguing the left-arm seamer solves the one problem Mumbai could not cover up through IPL 2026.

The swap, first reported on November 3, would take Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings, with Arshdeep and wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod moving in the opposite direction. The report said senior management on both sides had all but agreed on the exchange, with the paperwork to be processed by IPL officials and an announcement possible before the November 17 retention deadline.

Pathan's case rests on what Arshdeep offers that Mumbai's attack lacked: a frontline Indian left-armer who can take the new ball and close out an innings, which in turn loosens the squeeze on the four overseas slots. With Jasprit Bumrah already holding one end at the death, Arshdeep's arrival would let Mumbai use Mitchell Santner, or a second spinner, without sacrificing overseas batting.

"This trade makes perfect sense for MI. Arshdeep going to Mumbai will solve a huge bowling problem for them. They'll get a left-armer who's an Indian bowler, and on that pitch, Arshdeep will be fantastic with the new ball. It will also allow MI to play Santner or one more spinner regularly. His being there will enable that, and they can play an overseas batter as well," said Pathan (via ESPN Cricinfo).

Mumbai finished ninth in IPL 2026 with four wins from 14 matches, the second time in three seasons under Pandya's captaincy that the franchise ended in the bottom half, after finishing bottom of the table in 2024 and fourth in 2025.

Irfan Pathan questions Punjab Kings' side of the deal

Where Pathan parts company with the logic of the trade is Punjab's end of it. The former India all-rounder cannot see what the Kings gain by giving up a bowler of Arshdeep's profile in exchange for a 33-year-old Hardik Pandya, who, on the evidence of the reported terms, would arrive to play under Shreyas Iyer rather than lead.

"For Punjab, they already have two all-rounders in Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai. Though Jansen is a bowling all-rounder, he's giving runs consistently. And Omarzai is consistently scoring runs as well. So they'll have three all-rounders. So my question is why Punjab are doing this. If they were doing this four years ago, when Hardik was at his peak, then it would have been fine. But someone with the pure skill of a left-armer like Arshdeep is going to be hard to find," said Pathan (via the aforementioned source).

Punjab, meanwhile, reached their first final since 2014 in 2025 under Shreyas Iyer before losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In 2026, a strong first half was undone by a steep second-half slide that cost them a playoff place.

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