Subramaniam Badrinath, the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, opined that the Men in Yellow should sign Hardik Pandya through a trade with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and give Ayush Mhatre and Shivam Dube in return.
Badrinath also urged the CSK management to give Hardik captaincy, despite his dismal leadership run at MI. After being appointed captain at MI in 2024, the star all-rounder helped the side reach the playoffs last year. However, in 2024, they finished last, and this year, they secured
the ninth position. However, Badrinath believes that the inclusion of Hardik will give CSK great balance.
"If I am MI, I would trade Hardik for Shivam Dube and Ayush Mhatre from CSK. A core trio of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Hardik Pandya will take the CSK brand to a different level. There is also no set rule that Samson has to be made the CSK captain. If Hardik demands captaincy, I would make him CSK's captain because of his excellent relationship with MS Dhoni," Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
"Hardik has at least three excellent seasons in him. He will lend CSK incredible balance to the point where they can build the team around him. It'll also help Hardik if he goes to CSK over any other franchise, as CSK can enhance your image to a different level," he added.
"Once Hardik is removed from the picture, MI are still an extraordinary team" - S Badrinath
Badrinath opined that MI will still remain a very strong team even if Hardik parts ways and joins CSK. The cricketer-turned-expert suggested that either Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, or Suryakumar Yadav could replace Hardik as the captain of MI.
"The way Hardik Pandya came to MI from GT and became captain is one of the main reasons why MI should trade Hardik Pandya. Rohit Sharma has played for 15 years and won you five titles and is the darling of Mumbai. Ever since Hardik replaced him as captain, something has not been right with MI. So once Hardik is removed from the picture, MI are still an extraordinary team," said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).
"Just offload Hardik Pandya and make one Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, or Suryakumar Yadav the captain. It's not Hardik's mistake, but his wanting captaincy has affected the dynamics of the team," he concluded.
