Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra made a blunt remark on the massive trade involving Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya ahead of the IPL 2027 auction. Singh will move to the Mumbai Indians (MI), while Pandya goes to the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

“If you look at it from Punjab’s view, Hardik will not be the captain. But he is an all-rounder. They have plenty of those. How they use him will define how much he will be able to contribute. He was not able to use himself well as captain. Punjab’s problem was never batting. They never had to address the all-rounder problem. Bowling was their problem. It looks weaker with Arshdeep’s departure. They will still have to find a way to plug that gap. Hardik is an asset, there is no doubt. But he is not solving Punjab’s problem,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra also added that the Mumbai Indians had a better trade in terms of their problem being addressed. He added that MI’s bowling was a major issue, which is now bolstered by the addition of Arshdeep Singh, alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

“Mumbai’s issue was the bowling. Let’s be very honest. They were very pedestrian, and the bowling was very middling. That has definitely gotten a boost. Arshdeep and Bumrah together was a dream, and it has become a reality,” he concluded.