Hardik Pandya to join his mentor MS Dhoni at CSK?:7 IPL franchises in race for Mumbai Indians skipper; KKR and RR ready to offer captaincy

Hardik Pandya is one of the biggest names in Indian cricket, and the Mumbai Indians captain is reportedly attracting interest from several franchises. The star all-rounder has been leading Mumbai Indians for the past three seasons, but the team has failed to reach the playoffs in two years, including a ninth-place finish in the IPL 2026 season. According to the latest report from Times of India, Pandya is on the radar of as many as 7 IPL franchises. Teams like Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are all hoping to convince Mumbai Indians for a trade deal. Hardik Pandya has reportedly decided to part ways with Mumbai Indians after a disappointing campaign last season. The 32-year-old is attracting interest from several franchises, with KKR and RR even willing to offer captaincy to Pandya. Also read: Hardik Pandya makes Bengaluru his training base: First Indian cricketer to do so; all-rounder wants to play for ‘5-6 years’ Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have remained quiet, but CSK, KKR and RR have opened talks with MI. 7 IPL teams interested in Hardik Pandya For the unversed, Hardik re-joined MI in 2024 after guiding Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in 2022. Hardik was traded back to the Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal ahead of the 2024 season and was appointed the team’s captain. Reports claim that interesting franchises are all figuring out the math, how they will be able to accommodate a player of Hardik’s stature, given he is likely to command a big fee in case of an all-cash deal. Pandya is earning ₹16.35 crore, the second-highest salary at Mumbai Indians, behind Jasprit Bumrah (₹18 crore). Chennai Super Kings are known to be monitoring the situation closely. Last season, CSK pulled off a blockbuster trade by signing Sanju Samson, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were traded to Rajasthan Royals. It remains to be seen which team Pandya will choose as his next franchise. Will Hardik take up KKR’s captaincy? CSK already have Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the side, whether Hardik will be willing to play under his captaincy, or will he opt to join a team like KKR where he will take up the captaincy armband, is anyone’s guess. The TOI report claimed that Hardik will continue to hold talks with interested parties till he decides his final destination. Should he choose to leave Mumbai Indians, the five-time IPL champions are also likely to look into the future of another high-profile Indian player, who was not named. In the meantime, Hardik Pandya continues to recover from the injury that saw him miss the T20I series against Afghanistan, and he is also sidelined for the upcoming T20I series against England. The 32-year-old has shifted permanently to Bengaluru from Mumbai, PTI reported, renting a property outside the BCCI Centre of Excellence, where he is training to regain his fitness.