The IPL 2027 trade window has a new headline name: Hardik Pandya. Punjab Kings have reportedly edged ahead in the race to secure the Mumbai Indians captain in a trade deal, with the November 17 retention deadline now just ten days away.
The report, carried by NDTV on Friday, comes as former Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis predicted a captaincy merry-go-round in IPL 2027. Speaking in a video on ESPNcricinfo, du Plessis said three of the ten franchises could have new skippers next season: Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.
For Lucknow, du Plessis backed Aiden Markram or Mitchell Marsh to take over the leadership. For Kolkata, he named Rinku Singh — or Hardik himself, if the all-rounder is traded out of Mumbai.
The prediction ties the two stories together: if Hardik does move, the captaincy dominoes could fall at more than one franchise.
Nothing is confirmed yet, and no franchise has announced a deal. Trade talk routinely runs ahead of reality in this window, and Mumbai have given no indication they are ready to part with the captain who has led them since his return from Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2024. But Punjab’s reported interest is serious enough to have put them ahead of the other suitors, and a move for a player of Hardik’s stature would be the biggest trade of the window so far.
The window has already produced one major deal. On Thursday, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad completed a four-player trade, with Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards moving to Chennai and Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis heading to Hyderabad. That deal, the first big transaction under new CSK head coach Zaheer Khan, set the tone for a busy fortnight.
Punjab’s interest makes sense on cricketing grounds as well as commercial ones. The Kings were beaten finalists in IPL 2025 under Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik would add a proven finisher and a sixth bowling option to a side that came within one win of a maiden title. Whether he would also be in the leadership picture is unclear, but the pursuit itself shows Punjab intend to build on last season rather than stand still.
All ten franchises must submit their retained and released lists by November 17, and the mini-auction follows in Goa on December 16. With the deadline ten days away, the next week will decide whether Punjab’s pursuit of Hardik becomes the trade of the season — or just another rumour that fades when the lists are filed.
Related: CSK sign Livingstone and Edwards in four-player trade as SRH land Khaleel and Ellis ahead of IPL 2027 | IPL 2027 auction guide: date, venue, rules, purse and what happens next
