Mumbai Indians are reportedly in negotiations with the Rajasthan Royals for another huge transfer involving Hardik Pandya later this year. After leading Gujarat Titans for two seasons and helping them win the Indian Premier League on their debut in 2022, Pandya rejoined the team in late 2023. MI later sent all-rounder Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
After a second lackluster season in three years, Pandya, who had taken over as captain from white-ball behemoth Rohit Sharma upon arriving, is now scheduled to leave the five-time champions. MI escaped a repeat of the wooden spoon this year by finishing above the Lucknow Super Giants based on Net Run Rate, after finishing at the bottom of the table in 2024.
According to a report on RevSportz, MI is eager to trade Pandya to Rajasthan Royals in exchange for opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The star all-rounder is leaving the team amid rumors of a falling out within the MI dressing room, particularly with some of the more senior members of the team.
After wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was traded to the Chennai Super Kings in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, Jaiswal, who plays domestic cricket for Mumbai, was widely anticipated to take over as captain of the Royals.
But prior to the 19th IPL season, the Royals management chose Riyan Parag as captain instead of the southpaw. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old star who broke numerous records and won the “Orange Cap” in just his second season, also overshadowed Jaiswal.
Although the 24-year-old did not have a poor season with the bat this year, scoring 427 runs in 16 games at an average and strike rate of 30.50 and 152.50, respectively, a switch to the Mumbai Indians might therefore boost Jaiswal’s IPL prospects.
It’s also unclear if Jaiswal, like Pandya three years ago, will be named captain upon his arrival. Senior batter Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to T20 World Cup title victory earlier this year but has been having batting difficulties for the past year, is apparently another player the team is eager to trade.
According to reports, Surya has drawn interest from two north Indian franchises, both of which have extended leadership offers to him.
Despite doubts about his fitness and batting form, former captain Rohit Sharma, who won one of the two Champions League T20 trophies and all five IPL crowns for MI, is probably going to stay with the team.
However, the “Hitman” is unlikely to remain in charge of the team for the upcoming season, even if just temporarily. As a result, he will probably be mentoring Jaiswal in that capacity, as Hardik and Surya are both expected to go.
