Ahead of the IPL 2027 auction, former India player turned coach Ravi Shastri has added that Hardik Pandya is a genuine match-winner in T20 cricket. He said that the Team India superstar would be extremely eager to showcase his capabilities in the upcoming edition of the IPL as well.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Shastri said, “Wherever he goes, if he is fully fit, he is the best in the business in T20 cricket and a genuine match-winner. He has not played cricket for a while. He might just be charged up to come out there and show what he is capable of.”

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“You have got world-class all-rounders – there is only a dime a dozen of them, and when you have got a player of his ability who is just good with the bat and the ball, the balance of your team just improves. So you can either have an extra batter or an extra bowler. He is still a world-class player with a lot of cricket left in him,” he shared again.

However, Ravi Shastri was asked about the reported Hardik Pandya-Arshdeep Singh trade ahead of the IPL 2027 auction as well.

“I am hearing. How much it’s true, whether it’s rumors, you don’t know, but if that swap happens, it will be a good one for both teams. Hardik has played under Ricky Ponting, who is the coach at the Punjab Kings. Arshdeep will be very useful in Mumbai for the Mumbai Indians because he will get some swing there, like Boult used to. Boult was an integral part of the Mumbai Indians side. So I would imagine it would be a straight swap,” Shastri concluded.