The 45-year-old stated that he would ask Chennai to trade all-rounder Shivam Dube and and top-order batter Ayush Mhatre for Pandya, if he was a part of MI’s camp
Published: May 30, 2026, 2:08 PM IST
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Former multiple Indian Premier League winning batter with the Chennai Super Kings, Subramaniam Badrinath has advised his ex franchise to go all in for senior India all-rounder Hardik Pandya who is expected to leave the Mumbai Indians after a horrific outing in IPL 2026. In what was Pandya’s 3rd season as full-time captain, MI finished 9th in the standings with just 8 points to their name.
Last season, Hardik Pandya and co had reached the playoffs but lost to eventual runners-up Punjab Kings in the 2nd Qualifier. The year before, in the 2024 IPL edition, which was also Pandya’s debut season as MI captain, the 5-time champions had finished 10th.
Also Read: Watch: Emotional Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reduced to tears after Rajasthan’s elimination from IPL 2026
It was the very same season where Hardik Pandya was heavily bashed online and across all IPL venues for replacing long-time captain Rohit Sharma. Pandya was booed and even racially abused wherever he went that year but the ultimate moment of redemption for the all-rounder came exactly two months after the tournament concluded.
The Baroda-born cricketer bowled the final over which won India their long-awaited 2nd ICC T20 World Cup title in 2024 against South Africa. Pandya was reduced to tears right after the match ended in Barbados with all the talks around his dismissal as MI captain ending then and there.
However, with the way things have gone this season for him personally as well as for MI, Hardik Pandya is keen on leaving the 5-time champions and compete for the coveted IPL title elsewhere.
While speaking in his recent YouTube video, former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath spoke from the perspective of both MI and CSK about the potential trade of Hardik Pandya.
The 45-year-old stated that he would ask Chennai to trade all-rounder Shivam Dube and and top-order batter Ayush Mhatre for Pandya, if he was a part of MI’s camp. Badrinath feels that the combination of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya would take CSK to the next level.
“If I am MI, I would trade Hardik for Shivam Dube and Ayush Mhatre from CSK. A core trio of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Hardik Pandya will take the CSK brand to a different level. There is also no set rule that Samson has to be made the CSK captain. If Hardik demands captaincy, I would make him CSK’s captain because of his excellent relationship with MS Dhoni.” – Subramaniam Badrinath said on his latest YouTube video.
He also affirmed that Hardik Pandya has at least 3 big IPL seasons left in him and that if he chooses to go to CSK instead of any other franchise, then it will be best for the all-rounder and his image.
“Hardik has at least three excellent seasons in him. He will lend CSK incredible balance to the point where they can build the team around him. It’ll also help Hardik if he goes to CSK over any other franchise, as CSK can enhance your image to a different level.” – Badrinath concluded.
Hardik Pandya had an underwhelming IPL 2026 season in which he also missed 4 matches due to back spasms. While he scored 206 runs with the bat, he proved highly ineffective with the ball, scalping just 4 wickets in 10 outings.
