“Hardik Pandya felt as if he was cornered” - Former CSK star’s massive claim on MI ahead of IPL 2027 auction

Ambati Rayudu believes Hardik Pandya may have felt cornered during his captaincy stint with the Mumbai Indians (MI). The all-rounder returned to the team ahead of the 2024 edition and was appointed captain.

The former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter opined that Hardik should leave the captaincy if he continues playing for MI in IPL 2027. Rayudu said during a discussion on Cricbuzz amid the 33-year-old's trade rumors:

"In Mumbai, I just thought that Hardik felt as if he was cornered. And once you feel you're cornered, you're always looking over your shoulder. Once that happens in a dressing room, you tend to just come out in ways that you wouldn't want to. A lot of things didn't go well for Hardik. It might be Hardik's fault as well as something else.

"From now on, if he wants to stay at MI, I don't think he should be the captain. He should just play his game, enjoy his time, and be a match-winner for MI. But if he goes out, definitely not a captain again, at least for one season."

Hardik Pandya had a successful captaincy stint with Gujarat Titans (GT), leading the team to a title win in 2022, followed by a runners-up finish. However, he has failed to replicate the success with MI, with the side qualifying for the playoffs just once in three years under his reign.

"It's not an easy team to captain right now" - Ambati Rayudu not in favor of Hardik Pandya joining KKR for IPL 2027

Ambati Rayudu also suggested that Hardik Pandya should not go to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of IPL 2027. He remarked that the three-time champions will look at Hardik as a captaincy candidate, but leading the inexperienced side would be a challenging task.

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckoned that teams like Punjab Kings (PBKS) and CSK would be better options for Hardik, as it would allow him to play freely without the added pressure of captaincy.

He added in the same discussion:

"I think either Punjab or CSK because these are the two teams he'll go but he'll not captain, and he'll find a very, very good space in terms of his cricket. But with KKR, there's so much on the plate that he needs to assess and take things forward because they need a captain. It's not an easy team to captain right now."

Hardik Pandya has been on the sidelines since May 2026 due to injuries and is undergoing rehabilitation at BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

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