Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has given his views on a possible trade of current Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2027 season.
Rumors are spreading online about a possible trade between the two hugely successful franchises for Hardik Pandya, with the KKR co-owner reportedly wanting Pandya in the KKR squad for the upcoming season.
Highlighting the same development, Aakash Chopra It is said that even if KKR wants Hardik Pandya, MI will not do an all-cash deal and will want someone in exchange for the star all-rounder. And he believes that the three-time champions have no suitable player to offer in return.
“Who would Mumbai want? Mumbai don't do all-cash deals. They can take someone, but they wouldn't want to give anyone away. They would like someone in return. They would need a lower-middle-order batsman who can bat like Hardik Pandya. Do Kolkata have someone like that?” Chopra said on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra'.
Hardik Pandya is primarily a finisher with the bat, so Rinku Singh remains the only viable option for a potential trade. But, according to Chopra, the presence of Tilak Verma would make it meaningless.
He said, “The only player that comes to your mind is Rinku Singh. Rinku Singh and Tilak Verma are almost similar and Tilak Verma also plays at No. 5 or No. 6 now. So while Tilak is there, Rinku's arrival will not benefit them much.”
He further believes that the MI management would love to have Varun Chakravarthy in their bowling unit.
“You can improve one weakness, and that is bowling. They need a spinner and a fast bowler. Kolkata, you have Varun Chakravarthy, but will you give him that? Varun Chakravarthy's figures at Wankhede are not very good, but he is a brilliant bowler. So you assume he will adjust and become an asset,” he added.
The other option he suggested was a KKR fast bowler Harshit Rana. He believes that Harshit is an improvement over Hardik in bowling and will give MI a solid option.
“The other one is Harshit Rana. He is not the same, but is definitely advanced in bowling if you compare him with Hardik Pandya. He doesn't bat that well, but he can work like Corbin Bosch at the end. More importantly, you definitely need a bowler. In batting, you can still work with overseas players,” Chopra concluded.
Hardik Pandya had a poor IPL 2026 as both a batsman and captain for MI. He managed to score only 206 runs with a strike rate of 138.26, while taking just four wickets.
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