New Delhi, Nov 9: With the IPL 2027 auction approaching, Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Hardik Pandya seem to have grabbed all the buzz among cricket-frenzied
viewers. The speculation gained momentum after reports of PBKS exploring a potential player swap with Mumbai Indians, involving Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh, triggering widespread buzz around a possible blockbuster trade ahead of the auction.
However, former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund does not walk the talk and believes that PBKS made a "questionable" bargain to let go of Arshdeep in lieu of Hardik. "When you look back at the mega auction, they (Punjab Kings) chose to spend a bulk of their money on three big players like Arshdeep, Shreyas (Iyer) and (Yuzvendra) Chahal. If you don't have faith in that core and want a better core to be retained, that's where the all-rounder question comes in," Mukund said on JioStar's Game Plan.
Hardik, who has captained both Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans in the past, is set to join PBKS under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. Mukund further pointed out that given the role of finisher and with all the international workload in place for next year (considering the ODI World Cup), the Punjab management also has to juggle whether to make Hardik play as an 'all-rounder' or just as a 'batter'.
Change In Team Dynamics
He further added that the team dynamics may also be affected given that Hardik Pandya won't walk into the team as a captain. In that circumstance, it would be interesting to see how Pandya plays under current captain Shreyas Iyer.
"He would play under Shreyas Iyer. So, there is that team dynamics question as well. Once again, is he okay with it? Has Shreyas had conversations about it? These are all things done behind closed doors," he added.
Meanwhile, former Indian batsman Akash Chopra also echoed Mukund's concern and said that the departure of Arshdeep will weaken the bowling lineup of Punjab.
End Of The Road For Stoinis
Mukund believes that Hardik Pandya's potential arrival at Punjab Kings could prompt the franchise to release Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis to accommodate the Indian star. He suggested that the trade could significantly alter the team's composition.
He also highlighted the possible impact of the move on young all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who could face increased competition for opportunities. Mukund pointed out that Shedge is emerging as a promising all-rounder, having featured for India A and progressed as a potential option for the senior national side.
"I'm very curious to see how Suryansh would react. This is a guy who's now playing for India A as an all-rounder, playing for India as an all-rounder, and is looked at as the next in line after maybe Nitish Reddy, Shivam Dube, and then him. So, clearly, he must be thinking about whether he would get as many opportunities if that trade does happen," he said.
