If one were to believe reports, the Mumbai Indians (MI) are parting ways with their captain, Hardik Pandya. Granted, they must be taken with a grain of salt, but one can’t forget there were similar rumours suggesting Rishabh Pant would leave the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). In the end, that’s what happened.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, MI and LSG were the two worst-performing teams. They were the first to be eliminated and finished the season with 4 wins from 14 matches. One captain, Pant, has already left, and another, Pandya, might as well.
Pant’s return to the Delhi Capitals, with Kuldeep Yadav going to LSG, has opened the trade window ahead of the IPL 2027 auction. Now it might be time for Pandya’s departure. There are already rumours that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are interested in acquiring the all-rounder, but nothing has been finalised yet.
Hardik Pandya trade with LSG?
Former KKR batter Aakash Chopra believes Pandya could be a perfect fit at LSG. After swapping Pant for Kuldeep, Lucknow has extra money in the bank. Mind you, Pandya was retained for INR 16.35 crore by MI. That number isn’t that high. Aakash has suggested MI and LSG talk about trading Pandya for Nicholas Pooran.
The retired West Indian batter is involved with MI in different franchise leagues. He plays for MI London in The Hundred, MI Cape Town in the SA20, and MI Emirates in ILT20. Moreover, he captains MI New York in Major League Cricket. He’ll be a perfect fit for them in IPL 2027.
“MI can think about giving Hardik Pandya. You (LSG) can make him captain or play him as a middle-order batter. You lack all-rounders, and you will get an all-rounder. But MI might say, ‘We need two things from you in return. Give us Nicholas Pooran because he is part of the MI setup.’ So, they know how to handle Nicholas Pooran,” Akash said on his YouTube channel.
Nicholas Pooran & Mohsin Khan to MI?
However, that may not be all. Pooran had a woeful IPL 2026, and his form hasn’t been great ever since he retired from international cricket in June 2025. Therefore, Aakash believes LSG might ask someone like Mitchell Santner in return for Mohsin Khan, who’s an incredible pacer but injury-prone. The former Indian cricketer believes this deal will work for both LSG and MI.
LSG will get a potential captain, whom they don’t have with Pant gone, and a spin-bowling all-rounder. Similarly, Pooran can play at 3 to 5 for MI, and since they don’t have a good domestic fast bowler, Mohsin will fit right in. This trade could mean both MI and LSG are stronger in IPL 2027.
The Wankhede Stadium will suit him (Pooran) as well. We need Mohsin Khan along with him. They won’t let Prince Yadav and Mayak Yadav go. Mohsin is a tall bowler and gets extra bounce. Can they ask for him from them? Then LSG might also turn back and say that Hardik alone won’t do, but we need Mitchell Santner as well. It is not a bad thought because they have Kuldeep Yadav, but if they get Santner as well, with Kuldeep and Hardik, suddenly LSG will start looking like a robust unit,” he added.
