Hardik Pandya Traded to Punjab Kings

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been traded to Punjab Kings in exchange for pacer Arshdeep Singh, according to a PTI report. Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings have agreed to the trade ahead of the IPL auction later this month.

The proposed trade will see Hardik return to a new franchise after his second stint with Mumbai Indians, while Arshdeep is set to join the five-time champions. The deal will require ratification from the BCCI before it is officially confirmed.

An IPL source confirmed that the trade has been completed, adding that Hardik is happy to play under Shreyas Iyer, who will continue as Punjab Kings captain.

Trade details and reactions

The trade has been completed. Hardik is going to Punjab Kings and Arshdeep is moving to Mumbai Indians. Hardik is happy to play under Shreyas Iyer.

It was the decision of the captain and the coach to trade Hardik for Arshdeep, who has been with Punjab Kings for a very long time and has become the player he is today following his success with the franchise.

For the owners, it was not an easy decision considering how Arshdeep has risen and performed so well for the franchise. However, the captain and the coach went ahead with this decision, and that is it.

Hardik Pandya’s time with Mumbai Indians

The move brings an end to Hardik’s second stint with Mumbai Indians, having returned to the franchise in the 2024 season as captain, replacing long-serving skipper Rohit Sharma. However, the move did not go according to plan, with the five-time champions failing to qualify for the play-offs twice in the three seasons since Hardik took over the leadership.

Arshdeep Singh’s association with Punjab Kings

It was not expected to be an easy decision for Punjab Kings to part ways with Arshdeep, who has had a long association with the franchise. His performances in the IPL have helped him break into the international setup.

Punjab Kings background

The Punjab Kings, also known as PBKS, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab, are a professional Twenty20 cricket team based in New Chandigarh, Punjab, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul. The team plays its home matches at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, although since the 2010 season, they have played some matches at Dharamshala and Indore.

They topped the league table twice, in 2014 Indian Premier League and 2025 Indian Premier League and finished as runners-up both times. In 2014 they lost the finals against Kolkata Knight Riders and in 2025 they lost the finals against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Hardik Pandya background

Hardik Himanshu Pandya is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team. He is an all-rounder who is a right-handed middle-order batsman and right arm fast-medium bowler. He is considered one of the best all-rounders in the world in white-ball cricket.

Pandya is the first fast-bowling all-rounder in T20Is to complete 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. He captains Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and occasionally plays for Baroda in domestic cricket.

He has captained the Indian team in white-ball cricket and was the vice-captain of the team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Related on Apex Sports News

• Hardik Pandya IPL Trade: MI Demand Two KKR Players

• Shubman Gill says India's No. 7 and 8 will be sorted when Hardik Pandya returns

Sources

• Khel Now

• NDTV Sports

• Photo: warrenski, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)