Former Indian chairman of selectors and commentator Kris Srikkanth shared his views on the potential trade between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) involving Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth reckoned that PBKS are the winners of the trade, while taking a massive dig at all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who scored 158 runs in seven games in IPL 2026 without bowling an over.
Srikkanth also said Arshdeep would likely replace Trent Boult at MI, while former skipper Rohit Sharma would be reinstated as captain of the Mumbai-based franchise for the forthcoming IPL 2027 season.
“This trade will definitely benefit Punjab more than Mumbai. With Hardik, they’ll have so many all-rounders, even though I won’t accept Shedge as an all-rounder despite him playing for India. I don’t know how he played for India. But overall, it’s a big plus for PBKS. Yes, MI will also benefit with Arshdeep replacing Boult. Also, now MI will start playing as a team. Rohit will surely be the captain,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“But there is no chance for Hardik to become PBKS captain. Shreyas Iyer will definitely be the captain 100%. Ponting bought Iyer only because he wanted him to captain. So there is no scope for Hardik to become PBKS captain. And if they make Hardik the captain, they’ll fall apart, and there will only be conflicts, as was the case in MI,” he added.
Further, Srikkanth asserted that PBKS needs to release Marcus Stoinis and bring in another pacer as Arshdeep’s replacement, adding that the ace Indian pacer will be a good addition for MI.
“PBKS will also give away Stoinis and get another pacer from outside. So this is definitely a better trade for PBKS. They didn’t have a middle-order batter who can smash it. They were playing with Shedge half the season. So now with Hardik replacing him, they’ll be even stronger. Of course, with Arshdeep, MI should also let go of Deepak Chahar and not foolishly retain him,” he concluded.
