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Hardik Pandya has put an end to the questions surrounding Punjab Kings’ captaincy after confirming that he will play under Shreyas Iyer in IPL 2027. The all-rounder made his stance clear through an Instagram post shortly after the high-profile trade between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings was officially announced.
Pandya shared a picture of himself wearing the Punjab Kings jersey and captioned it, “My captain. Shreyas”. His post made it clear that he has no problem playing under Iyer, putting an end to speculation about a possible change in leadership at the franchise.
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Iyer has been leading Punjab Kings for the past couple of seasons. He guided the team to the IPL final before they finished fifth in the 2026 season after making a strong start to the tournament.
Pandya’s arrival at Punjab Kings had naturally led to questions about the team’s captaincy. The all-rounder had spent the last five years leading IPL teams and had not played under another captain during this period.
When Pandya moved from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2024 season, he took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma. However, his second stint with MI did not go as planned, with the franchise struggling for results during his leadership.
This time, there appears to be no such demand from Pandya. His public acknowledgement of Iyer as captain suggests that he is ready to take on a different role at his new franchise.
The IPL officially confirmed the trade, which will see Pandya join Punjab Kings for Rs 18 crore ahead of the 2027 season. In exchange, Mumbai Indians will get left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who will retain his existing salary of Rs 18 crore.
Pandya’s new deal represents an increase from his previous salary of Rs 16.35 crore at Mumbai Indians.
The move also brings an end to his second stint with MI, where he won four IPL titles across his two spells with the franchise.
Pandya first joined Mumbai Indians in 2015 and played an important role in their title-winning campaigns in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. He returned to the franchise in 2024 and was immediately handed the captaincy.
Across 162 IPL matches, Pandya has scored 2,955 runs at a strike rate of 146.28 and picked up 82 wickets.
Meanwhile, Arshdeep will begin a new chapter in his IPL career after spending eight seasons with Punjab Kings.
The left-arm pacer made his IPL debut for PBKS in 2019 and gradually established himself as one of the most reliable fast bowlers in the competition.
He also became the franchise’s leading wicket-taker, with 111 wickets from 96 IPL matches.
Mumbai Indians will now hope that Arshdeep’s experience and ability to deliver in the death overs strengthen their bowling attack ahead of the 2027 season.
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