MI-PBKS complete trade between Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh | PC- AFP
The biggest IPL trade ahead of the next season has officially been announced. Former skipper Hardik Pandya has moved from Mumbai Indians to Punjab Kings, who are trading Arshdeep Singh for him, for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2027).
The IPL announced the latest IPL trade between MI and PBKS on Wednesday, finally closing the curtains on the Hardik Pandya trade.
No change in Arshdeep Singh's IPL salary; Pandya joins PBKS for 18 Cr
Former MI captain Hardik Pandya will feature for Punjab in his third IPL home, with the fee increased to INR 18 Cr from an existing amount of INR 16.35 Cr. However left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, bought for a whopping INR 18 crore in the mega-auction before IPL 2025, will join Mumbai Indians for the same price.
If reports are to be believed, MI had plenty of choices in regards to the Hardik Pandya trade, with offers from multiple franchises, but the five-time champions went with Punjab’s deal.
Allegedly, MI asked for either Nehal Wadhera or Vishnu Vinod alongside the two-time T20 World Cup-winning pacer, but PBKS denied it.
Pandya moved back to MI ahead of IPL 2024 on an all-cash deal, but his stocks have nosedived since the massive homecoming. Not only that, the joint-most IPL-successful team had three miserable seasons under Pandya’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh, a product of the Kings, has been with the franchise since IPL 2019, bagging 111 wickets in 95 innings. No bowler has taken more wickets than the left-arm seamer for PBKS.
Who wins in the Hardik Pandya-Arshdeep Singh trade?
After the inclusion of Arshdeep Singh, Mumbai have one of the deadliest bowling line-ups, with Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, and Trent Boult being the wreckers-in-chief.
However, Arshdeep can solve MI’s problems with both old and new balls, but he would bench an out-and-out speedster for a foreign all-rounder. That said, the five-time champions would need to find a replacement for Hardik Pandya, the finisher, in the middle order.
Meanwhile, PBKS won’t just get a force in the middle order, but a thinking bowler, best suited for New Chandigarh’s conditions in every phase of the game. He would also support skipper Shreyas Iyer as a senior player in the lineup.
Now, the Kings would need to find an equally potent seamer, like Arshdeep, to complement the likes of Marco Jansen and Vijaykumar Vyshak.
