IPL 2027: Hardik Pandya joins Punjab Kings, Arshdeep Singh moves to Mumbai Indians; major trade between the two teams

November 11, 2026

Mumbai (Maharashtra): In one of the biggest player trades in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya will now play for the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings—runners-up in IPL 2025—have traded Arshdeep Singh, a key bowler for the Indian T20 International team, to the Mumbai Indians.

A statement released by the IPL noted, “Ahead of the TATA IPL 2027, in a major player trade, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will join the Punjab Kings, while Arshdeep Singh—India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 International cricket—will join the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians.”

As part of this trade, the Punjab Kings will bring Hardik Pandya into their squad for a fee of ₹18 crore; his previous salary was ₹16.35 crore. Arshdeep Singh will join the Mumbai Indians at his current salary of ₹18 crore.

End of Hardik’s second stint with Mumbai Indians

This trade marks the conclusion of Hardik Pandya’s second stint with the Mumbai Indians. Hardik first joined the franchise in 2015. During his time there, he emerged as one of the team’s most influential all-rounders, playing a pivotal role in their IPL title victories in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

After spending seven seasons with Mumbai, Hardik moved to the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the 2022 IPL season. He took on the role of captain and led Gujarat to the championship in their very first season. Subsequently, the Gujarat Titans also reached the final in 2023. Hardik returned to the Mumbai Indians in 2024 and took over the team’s captaincy. To date, he has scored 2,955 runs in 162 IPL matches at a strike rate of 146.28, while also claiming 82 wickets.

However, his second stint with the Mumbai Indians did not go as expected. Over three seasons, Hardik scored only 647 runs in 35 innings across 39 matches, averaging 21.53. He maintained a strike rate of 147.82, with a highest score of 48 not out. As a bowler, he took 29 wickets in 39 matches at an average of over 34, including one five-wicket haul.

Under Hardik’s captaincy, the Mumbai Indians reached the playoffs in 2025. However, the team finished in ninth place in both the 2024 and 2026 seasons.

Arshdeep parts ways with Punjab Kings after eight seasons

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh is set to join the Mumbai Indians after spending eight seasons with the Punjab Kings. He made his IPL debut for Punjab in 2019 and quickly established himself as one of the league’s premier left-arm fast bowlers.

Arshdeep has taken 111 wickets in 96 IPL matches so far. He holds the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in the history of the Punjab Kings.

His ability to take early wickets with the new ball and bowl accurately under pressure during the death overs made him a vital component of Punjab’s bowling attack. He claimed 21 wickets in the 2025 IPL season and 14 wickets in the 2026 season.

Arshdeep’s left-arm pace and his knack for taking wickets at various stages of an innings are expected to bolster the Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack. Meanwhile, the arrival of Hardik Pandya would provide Punjab Kings with an experienced all-rounder who also possesses captaincy experience.