The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 mini-auction is just a few months away, and the deadline for retention is November 15; ahead of that, teams have been active with trade deals. Among them are reports of Hardik Pandya possibly landing with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from Mumbai Indians (MI). Ravichandran Ashwin has shared why Pandya can be a good fit for KKR.

Mumbai Indians did not perform as per expectations since Hardik was appointed as the captain of the side in 2024. Only once have they qualified for the playoffs, and in the other two seasons they have finished at the bottom of the table, which has been a concern for the management as they have revamped their coaching staff ahead of the new season.

Ravichandran Ashwin explains why Hardik Pandya is good fit for KKR

Ravichandran Ashwin, while speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, revealed why Hardik Pandya can be a good fit for the Knight Riders. He believes that the Knights need a captain after Ajinkya Rahane retired, and states that they can trade Hardik with Varun Chakravarthy. Ravi Ashwin also revealed that he can be a good fit for Rajasthan Royals.

He said (as quoted by NDTV), "KKR have great potential because Hardik can also become the captain there. They could offer Varun Chakaravarthy for him. But as long as Abhishek Nayar is there, I don't think Varun will move from KKR."

"Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh could be other options. With RR, it could be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sam Curran, or Brijesh Sharma or Tushar Deshpande. It could also be Jaiswal with Yash Raj Punja or Bishnoi."

Ravichandran Ashwin reveals why other teams are interested in Hardik Pandya

Ravi Ashwin in the same video also revealed names of other teams that can be interested in the trade of Hardik Pandya. He believes that MI needs an Indian wicket-keeper batter, and they would also look to bolster their bowling attack, so Azmatullah Omarzai can be of interest, and GT might also offer Rashid Khan for the star India all-rounder.

"MI desperately need an Indian keeper. They will also look to strengthen their bowling, which has been dismal over the last few years. PBKS with Omarzai could interest MI. No one is talking about GT, but they could get involved by giving Rashid Khan for Hardik."

KKR leading race to sign Hardik Pandya?

Despite CSK, KKR, RR, GT, and PBKS, two teams, CSK and KKR, are much more interested in doing the deal for Hardik. As per previous reports, the Knights are the favourites to land the former India captain in their side ahead of the IPL 2027 as he can add more balance to the three-time IPL champions.

"There are as many as six teams in the battle for Hardik Pandya, is what I hear. But I don't think that's the case, as LSG aren't in the race. It's mainly CSK, KKR, RR, GT, and PBKS. I also think captaincy isn't a must for Hardik anymore in his next franchise. He will just want to go to the ideal franchise for him, as he's keen to move on from MI," said Ashwin.