Hardik Pandya is arguably the best white-ball all-rounder and it would have been a surprise if teams didn't line up to acquire his services ahead of the next season. Hardik moved back to Mumbai Indians in 2024 after a historic trade with Gujarat Titans, and was handed the captaincy.

His second stint with the franchise, however, didn't go as both parties would have liked from individual as well as team performance point of view. After three poor seasons, several internal issues, and fans turning on the player, they are expected to part ways ahead of the IPL 2027.

June 23, 2026: KKR, RR start trade talks

Following IPL 2026, where MI finished ninth, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals reportedly approached for Pandya trade. According to PTI, RR wanted a direct swap between Pandya and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

KKR, on the other hand, wanted to secure the all-rounder to also sort their captaincy issue as they had to appoint Ajinkya Rahane as a stop-gap captain.

July 1, 2026: CSK join in the race

New reports emerged on July 1 that Chennai Super Kings entered the race, with the franchises discussing multiple options. As per a Times of India report, seven franchises, including CSK, had enquired about Pandya’s trade possibilities. On the same day, however, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan denied these speculations while speaking to Hindustan Times.

There were rumours at the time that MI wanted Shivam Dube and Aayush Mhatre in return but CSK did not want to give away the latter, and instead were ready to offer Dewald Brevis.

August 1, 2026: MI deny engaging in trade talks

While the rumour mill was hot, Mumbai Indians denied any involvement of having trade talks with other franchises.

“Our post-season review is currently on and we are looking into all aspects of the team. Contrary to reports, we are not engaged in conversations with regard to player trades; the same is only possible once the review is complete,” a Mumbai Indians spokesperson told Sportstar.

The same report also stated that Delhi Capitals were also among the teams in talks for a potential trade.

August 10, 2026: Development stalled

According to a Cricbuzz report on August 10, there wasn't any significant movement in trade development despite multiple teams being interested, with Mumbai Indians being unsure about trading the player at all.

Lucknow Super Giants were reported to be interested in a player swap with Nicholas Pooran going to MI while Delhi Capitals were in initial talks about trading out Axar Patel for Hardik. But the report claimed these were just "possibilities", with no concrete discussion having taken place.

August 12, 2026: Gujarat Titans block Pandya return over captaincy

On August 12, an Indian Express report stated that the all-rounder held talks with his previous team Gujarat Titans, and wanted captaincy. However, with the franchise elevating Shubman Gill to lead after the earlier Pandya trade, there was no possibility of going back to the older order.

October 27, 2026: CSK fuel rumours with a teaser

After appointing Zaheer Khan as their new head coach, CSK released a video, teasing a potential trade, which added fuel to the Pandya rumours.

Coach Zak at the HQ, and Leo's ready with the FAQs! 💛 #WhistlePodu #LeoHotline https://t.co/lR3OSQIjpg

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) October 27, 2026

October 31, 2026: Reports of Hardik Pandya agreeing to stay on as a player

Days after Mumbai Indians parted ways with Mahela Jayawardene as the head coach, Indian Express reported that Pandya has agreed to stay and play under another captain, if a trade doesn't go through, with Rohit Sharma likely taking over the reins.

November 1, 2026: KKR re-enter the race

Following the retirement of Ajinkya Rahane, KKR were left with a big leadership hole. With none of Rinku Singh, Raghuvanshi, and Rana ideal for the position, the franchise renewed its interest in acquiring Pandya.

This report in The Telegraph claimed KKR were unwilling to let go of Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, or Varun Chakaravarthy, while MI primarily demanded Harshit Rana and Angkrish Raghuvanshi.

November 4, 2026: Punjab Kings close to finalising the deal in exchange for Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings came out of nowhere in the trade development, and are now reportedly the closes to securing Pandya. On November 4, Cricinfo’s Nagraj Gollapudi claimed that Punjab Kings were all set to win the trade war, beating all the other franchises, with RCB being the only side who did not hold any talks with MI.

Sportstar also reported that the trade is a direct player swap, with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and wicketkeeper batter Vishnu Vinod going to MI.

“Sportstar understands that the senior management of the two franchises have all but agreed on the proposed exchange, with the documentation expected to be processed by IPL officials. An official announcement is likely later this week, ahead of the November 17 retention deadline,” stated the report.

For years, Mumbai Indians have seeked a quality Indian pacer to pair alongside Jasprit Bumrah. In Arshdeep, they might have finally got their wish. Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting has been a vocal supporter of Hardik and the pair will reunite if the latest reports are to be believed.