Before IPL 2027, rumours of Hardik Pandya being traded to other teams from the Mumbai Indians (MI) have been a hot topic of discussion. A world-class all-rounder like him would be beneficial to a number of teams, but not every move would be ideal from a cricket or team-building standpoint.
One such team that doesn’t need Hardik Pandya’s services might be the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). CSK has struggled after MS Dhoni relinquished the captaincy and might be enticed to bring in Hardik Pandya to stabilise the franchise. However, we present five reasons why CSK shouldn’t pick Hardik Pandya.
Here are the 5 reasons why CSK shouldn’t pick Hardik Pandya for IPL 2027:
5. CSK doesn’t need another pace bowling all-rounder.
Hardik Pandya does bring a unique skillset to the table. He is an Indian pace-bowling all-rounder who can give CSK’s playing XI a lot of stability. However, CSK needs to reevaluate their needs and think about whether they really need a pace-bowling all-rounder.
Shivam Dube and Jamie Overton performed the role of pace all-rounders for CSK in recent seasons and had success as well. Instead of bringing in Hardik, CSK should give more responsibility to Shivam Dube and utilise Overton properly, showing trust in him.
4. Hardik Pandya’s high salary might hamper CSK’s auction plans.
If CSK trades in Hardik Pandya from MI, he is not going to come for cheap. Pandya is one of the highest-paid players in the IPL, and CSK would inherit his substantial salary if he were traded in. Investing so much money in Hardik Pandya might mean that CSK will have to dip into their IPL 2027 funds.
Instead of relying on a group of well-known players, CSK has historically depended on a balanced lineup. The management is aware that they might require reinforcements in the areas of spin, pace attack, and batting. Additionally, putting a sizable portion of their money in Hardik could interfere with these goals.
3. Injury concerns make Hardik Pandya a risky long-term investment.
Hardik Pandya had suffered back spasms during his recent stint in IPL 2024, leading to him missing four matches for the MI franchise. He has not played a single game since then. Hardik Pandya’s back injury makes him susceptible to frequent breakdowns, and he has missed entire IPL tournaments in the past.
Hardik Pandya is a very enticing prospect to have in your squad, and he has managed his back issue well. But investing so much money in the 32-year-old, whom you are trusting to play for the next two seasons at least, might not be wise if Pandya keeps on breaking down repeatedly.
2. CSK has enough captaincy options.
Chennai Super Kings do not need a new captain. Ruturaj Gaikwad is being trusted to get results by CSK, and he just needs to get out of the shadow of MS Dhoni and own the team. On the other hand, CSK recently traded for Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals, who can be a very good captaincy option as a successor to MS Dhoni.
Hardik Pandya is not amongst the captaincy options that CSK is looking for, and if they give him captaincy, they’ll be making the same mistake as MI did in 2024. If Hardik Pandya comes into the CSK side, he might not be handed the captaincy, something he is ambitious for.
1. Hardik Pandya’s recent IPL form is not encouraging.
Hardik Pandya is India’s premier all-rounder. However, he is fragile as well, with a glass back that keeps giving him issues. He missed four games for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 and has not played since then. He has missed the Afghanistan and England series for India, only set to return for the West Indies series in September.
CSK does want to have talent like Hardik Pandya in their ranks, but are they ready to pay that hefty price for a player who doesn’t guarantee a full season of IPL? Hardik is now a below-average player of pace because of his troubles against hard distances. The fast-bowling all-rounder has never been a complete wicket-taker with the ball, which is what CSK needs.
