Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Ness Wadia has revealed that the franchise has invested in the ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the long term, indicating that he wouldn’t be released ahead of the IPL 2028 mega auction.
On Wednesday, November 11, the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed one of the major trade deals in its history. While Hardik moved to PBKS, Arshdeep Singh was traded to Mumbai Indians (MI).
“We’re definitely in it for the long term and so is he. I had a beautiful conversation with him. He’s all ready to go. And I think you’ll see a different Hardik Pandya and a very experienced Hardik Pandya coming to the fore. And he’s very keen to share his experience and his wisdom with us. It will strengthen our core group and will be a big support to Shreyas on the field and Ricky (head coach Ricky Ponting) and everyone off the field,” Wadia said.
“He’s got a lot of followers. He’s an icon. He brings in a lot, his experience, you know, more than anything… Mumbai will benefit from Arshdeep and we will benefit from Hardik. It is the biggest trade in IPL history,” he added.
Wadia further stated that Pandya would be happy to play under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership. Pandya will move to PBKS for ₹18 crore, an increase from his existing fee of ₹16.35 crore, while Arshdeep Singh will join MI at his current fee of ₹18 crore.
“Shreyas has a very good relationship with Hardik. Ricky has worked with Hardik in the past. It’s a win-win for everyone. From our perspective, we felt that we needed to improve things going forward. And from that perspective, it seemed like a good swap to get Hardik, who’s a world-class player, who’s won several trophies, five IPL trophies, and three or four ICC,” he noted.
