Former Indian player Sadagoppan Ramesh named five franchises that could pick the veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya for IPL 2027. However, Hardik is coming off another disappointing season as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain in IPL 2026, where they finished second from the bottom. Thus, the off-season has been dominated by rumours about MI trading Hardik, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) being reported as the frontrunners as well.
However, considering Hardik’s captaincy aspirations, Sadagoppan Ramesh said that apart from CSK and KKR, Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) could be other options as well.
“The latest news on GT rejecting Hardik Pandya because he wanted captaincy clearly shows Hardik has a high desire to captain a franchise. So he’ll be only interested in joining the franchise that offers him captaincy. Based on that, there are only five teams other than MI that could ponder a change in captaincy,” said Ramesh on his Instagram handle.
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“CSK could look for a change of captain, while KKR and LSG certainly need a new captain. With Rishabh Pant’s arrival, it remains to be seen if DC also wants a new captain. RR also might think whether to continue with Riyan Parag. SRH, RCB, GT and PBKS are settled, and their captains are fixed.”
He also believes LSG or KKR could embark on a Hardik Pandya trade to appoint him as their new captain as well. Among the five teams listed by him, only LSG and KKR are in need of a new captain as well. However, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane recently retired from all forms of cricket, while Rishabh Pant stepped down as LSG’s captain after a poor IPL 2026 season as well.
“Clearly, there are five teams, CSK, DC, RR, LSG and KKR, that could have a change of captain. But out of that, three are still undecided, whereas KKR and LSG must appoint a new captain. Considering that, KKR or LSG could decide if they want Hardik Pandya as the captain. But these five teams are the open options for Hardik Pandya, considering he wants to be captain,” Sadagoppan Ramesh concluded.
