‘Is He Okay With It?’: Mukund On Hardik Possibly Playing Under Shreyas At Punjab Kings

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:  Former India batter Abhinav Mukund has questioned whether Hardik Pandya would be comfortable playing under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy if he is traded to Punjab Kings (PBKS) from Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of IPL 2027.

IANS had reported on November 3 that PBKS were the frontrunners to seal seam-bowling all-rounder Pandya’s services via a trade deal and in exchange, send left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh to MI. This news agency also reported on November 7 that the paperwork was completed between the two teams, and is awaiting a formal approval from the BCCI and IPL governing council.

“It is very interesting because when you look back at the mega auction, they chose to spend a bulk of their money on three big players like Arshdeep, Shreyas and Chahal. So, 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.

“So, if you go with the speculation, obviously, it’s a fact that Arshdeep Singh has been offered for Hardik Pandya. It’s a great deal for Mumbai, but it’s also a questionable deal for Punjab Kings because if Hardik comes to Punjab, does he play as just an all-rounder? Because I would think that 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. But, to be fair, that does a lot to the makeup of that side, and I have a feeling that they will definitely let go of Marcus Stoinis if he comes in,” Mukund said on JioStar.

Iyer led PBKS to the final of IPL 2025, where they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). But the franchise failed to make the playoffs last season. It will be hoping to go all the way when the tournament enters its 20th edition in 2027.

Mukund said Pandya’s arrival could also unsettle young seam-bowling all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who might start wondering about his place in the playing eleven. “You are playing with a bunch of all-rounders in an Impact Player game and not as many specialist bowlers. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with these trades. Because if Hardik’s trade happens, 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.”

On reports linking PBKS to trading in Lucknow Super Giants left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan in exchange of seam-bowling all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, Mukund pointed to his fitness record and suggested that veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who recently retired from Tests, could be a better option for the franchise.

“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.”

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Article Source: IANS