Aakash Chopra mentioned a few trade possibilities that IPL (Indian Premier League) franchises could ponder ahead of next year. Lucknow Super Giants traded
Rishabh Pant to Delhi Capitals in exchange for Kuldeep Yadav on Tuesday, June 23. However, a few more trades are being considered by teams, and concrete updates are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Chopra said that the Kolkata Knight Riders could consider giving either Varun Chakaravarthy or Harshit Rana to the Delhi Capitals and taking KL Rahul in return. The former India opener explained how such a trade deal could benefit both teams. Chopra also believes that the Delhi Capitals can talk to the Mumbai Indians (MI) instead of the Knights and trade KL Rahul in exchange for Hardik Pandya.
"If KKR say that you can take either Varun Chakaravarthy or Harshit Rana from them, and give them KL Rahul, can that happen? Since Kuldeep has left, they would need another spinner. Can they get anyone better than Varun Chakaravarthy? Can they actually let go of Varun Chakaravarthy or Harshit Rana and ask for KL Rahul so that their wicketkeeper, captain, and opener get sorted out with just one guy?" Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"Delhi can think about talking to Mumbai instead of Kolkata. Mumbai will like KL Rahul a lot. They will get an opener. They will need a successor for Rohit Sharma at some stage. He has an excellent record in Mumbai. Since the rumor market is hot that Hardik Pandya is leaving, what if he comes to Delhi? An all-rounder, medium pace, batting, small ground, and a flat pitch. The pitch will suit him," he added.
"We will give you Hardik Pandya, and you give us Yashasvi Jaiswal" - Aakash Chopra on potential trade between MI and RR after IPL 2026
Chopra, in the same video, opined that the Mumbai Indians could opt to rope in Yashasvi Jaiswal from the Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Hardik Pandya.
"However, Mumbai might say they don't want to talk to Delhi, and instead talk to Rajasthan. We will give you Hardik Pandya, and you give us Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yashasvi, a Mumbai boy at the Mumbai ground. A future prospect, that's what Mumbai is known for, and maybe Yashasvi wants to leave, and Hardik Pandya can come there, and they can get a middle-order batter," he said.
The cricketer-turned-expert also mentioned the possibility of Rajasthan Royals offering Yashasvi to the Knight Riders and taking Rinku Singh in return.
"Rajasthan might think about talking to Kolkata and not Mumbai. Give us Rinku Singh and take Yashasvi Jaiswal from us. You will get an Indian opener and destructive batter in Yashasvi Jaiswal. We need Rinku Singh because we don't have a middle-order batter, and you don't use Rinku that well," Chopra observed.
