"There are two questions here" - Former CSK batter breaks down Hardik Pandya trade options ahead of IPL 2027

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath raised two key questions while breaking down the potential trade of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Hardik has been heavily linked to joining CSK for the IPL 2027 season via trade.

He is currently the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI). However, as they have struggled in recent seasons, the franchise might look to let go of Hardik Pandya through a trade deal. Badrinath questioned whether Hardik would get the captaincy at CSK, with Ruturaj Gaikwad being the current skipper.

Second, he wondered which players MI would want in exchange for Hardik. He reckoned Mumbai would certainly eye Ayush Mhatre.

"There are two questions here. If Hardik will only come as a captain, will you give it to him and take it away from Gaikwad? The second question is, if the trade happens, who will you give in exchange? I think MI will ask for two players for sure. And I am sure one of the players in that list will be Ayush Mhatre. I don't think the CSK management will give both Ayush and Noor Ahmed together. If I were in that management, I would definitely not give away these two," he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Hardik's current value in the IPL is ₹16.35 crore after being retained for the 2026 season. Notably, when he returned to MI in 2024 after being traded from the Gujarat Titans (GT), it was an all-cash deal for ₹15 crore.

S Badrinath feels the Hardik Pandya trade is difficult to actually take place

S Badrinath opined that he would give away all-rounder Shivam Dube along with pacer Nathan Ellis to the Mumbai Indians in exchange for Hardik Pandya if he were in the CSK management.

However, he reckoned that MI might not go through with the trade in exchange for Dube and Ellis. He stated that he would ask for Ayush Mhatre and Shivam Dube, which CSK might not agree to. That said, he felt it would be difficult for Hardik Pandya's trade to realistically take place between these two teams.

"If you ask me, I am ready to give away Shivam Dube. Dube and a foreign player, maybe Nathan Ellis. But the question also is, will MI be ready to give Hardik for these two? If I were MI, I would not agree to this. I would ask for Mhatre and Dube. This would feel like a fair trade then. But is it actually feasible for CSK to get Hardik via trade? It feels very difficult for this trade to actually happen," he said.

It remains to be seen whether MI will trade the star all-rounder and, if they do so, which team he will represent in the next season.

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