Former Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Tirumalasetti Suman opined on the winner of the blockbuster trade of Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya involving MI and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of IPL 2027. The highly anticipated trade was officially confirmed on Wednesday, November 11 as well.
“Which team has more advantage in this trade? If you look at both players’ skill sets, Hardik Pandya, being an all-rounder, is slightly ahead. But if you look at the current situation, Hardik is not yet fit. It will take a few months for him to get complete fitness. Arshdeep is playing for the country and is right on song. He is taking wickets. Mumbai pitches will suit him, and MI is looking much better with Arshdeep. So, this season, this trade might go to Mumbai Indians,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel. “But in the future, you never know. Because this year, there might be the impact player rule. But if the rule is removed later, only then will you know the true value of an all-rounder.”
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Tirumalasetti Suman also opened up on Hardik Pandya’s journey in the IPL, how he started with MI, established himself as an all-rounder, won multiple trophies and went on to play for India as well.
“Just a few years ago, Mumbai Indians brought in Hardik Pandya as their captain. Can you imagine a situation like this now? India’s best all-rounder Hardik to Punjab Kings. And purely from Hardik Pandya’s point of view, his IPL career is a roller coaster. This is where his IPL career started with Mumbai Indians. And from here, he became one of the best all-rounders in the world. After that, Mumbai Indians couldn’t retain him. He went to a new franchise, Gujarat Titans. He showed leadership qualities there. He won the IPL title. Next year, he became a runner-up. And after that, Mumbai Indians got him back as Mumbai Indians’ leader in place of Rohit Sharma. The fans couldn’t accept it. We saw the reaction,” he said.
“From here, his new journey starts. If you look at the whole situation, you can understand one thing. There are no emotions in IPL. The fans remember the players’ journey. But the franchise thinks about what to do next season to make the team win. That is the brutal truth about IPL,” he concluded.
