Hardik Pandya As CSK Captain? Idea Shut Down By Tamil Nadu Legend Amid Trade Rumours

Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni (Source: AFP)The rumours surrounding Hardik Pandya's future in the IPL is moving ahead with each passing day. Chennai Super Kings emerge as one of the strongest contenders to sign the star all-rounder.Reports suggest that Mumbai Indians and CSK are exploring the possibility of a blockbuster trade, although one major issue could stand in the way.Hardik is reportedly keen on leading any franchise he joins, while Chennai Super Kings do not want to remove Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain. Former India opener and Tamil Nadu Legend Sadagoppan Ramesh has now shared his opinion on Hardik Pandya’s possible trade rumours.Also Read: Mumbai Indians Break Silence On IPL Trade Amid Hardik Pandya's CSK Joining RumoursDoes CSK Need Hardik Pandya? Sadagoppan Ramesh AnswersSpeaking on his YouTube channel, Sadagoppan Ramesh said CSK have reasons to sign as well as avoid Hardik Pandya. According to him, Hardik's experience and ability to contribute with both bat and ball make him a match-winner. However, the former Indian opener feels the Chennai-based franchise does not really need Pandya's captaincy expertise to come out of a lean phase.He also feels that CSK must protect its young talent and avoid making major compromises in a trade.“There are a lot of speculations around this with several players like Dube, Mhatre and Brevis being mentioned. But the biggest question is whether CSK needs Hardik Pandya. The answer is both yes and no. Firstly, there is no way CSK should let go of youngsters.""Yet, CSK are in desperate need of proven players. So as a player, CSK needs Hardik Pandya. But, he is absolutely not needed as a captain,” Ramesh said on his YouTube channel.Ramesh further mentioned that Chennai could benefit from having a proven match-winner in the middle order if the Hardik Pandya trade goes through. His biggest concern, however, was the way Pandya has fared as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians. Considering Pandya has been one of MI's worst-ever captains, Sadagoppan Ramesh firmly stated that the experienced allrounder should not replace Ruturaj Gaikwad as skipper.“I’ve always seen Hardik Pandya as two parts – an extraordinary cricketer and a poor captain. Yes, he led GT to the title. But it has become clearer once he left GT that even without him as captain, GT has not suffered. They just reached the final again.""But see where the team he captained, MI, has been in the same timeframe. Thus, it’s clear that beyond his captaincy, certain things have clicked in GT,” he added.How Has Hardik Performed As MI Captain?Hardik Pandya’s captaincy journey started after being released by MI following the 2021 season; he was appointed captain of the newly formed Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2022.The decision proved to be a masterstroke as Hardik led Gujarat to win the IPL trophy in its first season. He followed it up by taking the franchise to another IPL final in 2023, where they finished runners-up to CSK.Mumbai Indians brought him back before IPL 2024 and appointed him captain in place of Rohit Sharma. However, the transition turned out to be difficult as the team struggled under his captaincy.Overall, Hardik has captained in 39 IPL matches, winning 15 and losing 24. His win percentage stands at 38.46, while his loss percentage is 61.53.Ramesh Questions Hardik's Leadership And Personal PerformancesSadagoppan Ramesh also believes Mumbai Indians’ disappointing campaign cannot be blamed only on other players. According to him, Hardik's own performances with both bat and ball did not help the team during the season.“Coming to MI, people can say other senior players’ poor form hasn’t helped him as captain. But his own performance with bat and ball hasn’t helped MI either. Hardik’s own performance hasn’t helped his captaincy.""He bowled only 22 overs in 10 matches, which means he has bowled only two overs per game. And he didn’t bowl the important overs often, while also batting too low on most occasions. It shows that he underutilized himself," Ramesh added.In IPL 2026, the all-rounder scored 206 runs in 10 innings at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.26. With the ball, he picked up just 4 wickets at an economy rate of 11.43.Also Read: Every Trophy 'Captain' Imran Tahir Won Till The Age Of 47