Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Subramaniam Badrinath believed that the Men in Yellow should exchange Ayush Mhatre and Shivam Dube for Hardik Pandya.
Despite Hardik’s poor leadership performance at MI, Badrinath also pleaded with the CSK management to grant him captaincy. The standout all-rounder helped MI make it to the playoffs last year after being named captain in 2024. They came in last in 2024, but this year they came in eighth. However, Badrinath believes that the inclusion of Hardik will give CSK great balance.
“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,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
“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,” he added.
“Once Hardik is removed from the picture, MI are still an extraordinary team” – S Badrinath.
According to Badrinath, even if Hardik decides to join CSK, MI will still be a formidable team. The former cricket player turned analyst proposed that Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, or Tilak Varma might take Hardik’s place as MI’s captain.
“The way Hardik Pandya came to MI from GT and became captain is one of the main reasons why MI should trade Hardik Pandya. Rohit Sharma has played for 15 years and won you five titles and is the darling of Mumbai. Ever since Hardik replaced him as captain, something has not been right with MI. So once Hardik is removed from the picture, MI are still an extraordinary team,” said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).
“Just offload Hardik Pandya and make one Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, or Suryakumar Yadav the captain. It’s not Hardik’s mistake, but his wanting captaincy has affected the dynamics of the team,” he concluded.
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