“A good opening partner was missing for Bumrah” – Kris Srikkanth’s huge take on potential Hardik-Arshdeep trade ahead of IPL 2027 auction

Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has backed the reported trade that would send Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Arshdeep Singh to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2027 auction. His case starts with the new-ball partner Mumbai has lacked for Jasprit Bumrah.

Sportstar reported the move on November 3, with Arshdeep and wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod heading to Mumbai, and Pandya joining a Punjab squad coached by Ricky Ponting and captained by Shreyas Iyer. Senior management on both sides had all but agreed to the exchange, the report said, with paperwork to be processed by IPL officials before the November 17 retention deadline.

Talking about the potential blockbuster trade on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka, Srikkanth said:

“This is a good trade for both sides. Arshdeep Singh didn’t want to be with Punjab and previously went into the auction. For MI, a good opening partner was missing for Bumrah. This will fill that gap. For PBKS, they were looking for a middle-order all-rounder. If they get Hardik, they’ll remove Marcus Stoinis. Vishnu Vinod is nothing great, so he doesn’t make a big difference.”

Yet, Srikkanth’s verdict on whose end of the deal is stronger is clear.

“MI’s batting is already excellent, and now Naman Dhir will come in as the primary Indian all-rounder. PBKS will also remove Nehal Wadhera, and Hardik will slot in either for him or Stoinis. MI will obviously give away an ageing Trent Boult, and Arshdeep will fill in that role. With Hardik, PBKS will become very strong. Though it helps both sides, it benefits Punjab more,” he stated.

Punjab released Arshdeep before the 2025 mega auction, then used the Right to Match card to keep him at INR 18 crore after Sunrisers Hyderabad pushed the bid from INR 15.75 crore.

Why Srikkanth prefers Arshdeep Singh over Yashasvi Jaiswal for MI in a trade

Kris Srikkanth also weighed in on MI exploring a trade with Rajasthan Royals (RR) involving Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Srikkanth accepts the batting appeal with Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma opening, he believes Arshdeep’s inclusion benefits MI more, given Trent Boult’s poor IPL 2026 returns.

“Jaiswal would have been a great addition for MI if the trade with RR went through. But the problem is MI didn’t have a reliable left-arm pacer because Boult is over the hill and out. That’s why the trade with PBKS is better for MI than the one with RR,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

Both teams missed the playoffs last season, with MI finishing ninth and PBKS fifth on the points table.

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran