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STUMP VISION NOVEMBER 20, 2026 | The Indian Eye 46

Hardik Pandya’s move to

Punjab Kings: A fresh start or

another gamble?

Leaving Mumbai Indians after an unsuccessful second stint, the all-rounder has

an opportunity to rediscover his best cricket at Punjab Kings

OUR BUREAU was particularly concerning. Pandya’s
explosive batting, ability to finish
Mumbai
games and knack for delivering crucial
ardik Pandya’s latest move in overs have made him one of India’s
the Indian Premier League most valuable limited-overs cricket-
H(IPL) is more than just anoth- ers. Yet, at Mumbai, he appeared to
er high-profile player trade. It could struggle to reproduce the authority
be a defining moment in the career and assurance that had defined his
of one of Indian cricket’s most gifted Gujarat years.
all-rounders. As he prepares to leave The latest trade, therefore, could
Mumbai Indians (MI) for Punjab offer him an opportunity to start
Kings (PBKS), the bigger question is afresh. Under the deal, Pandya joins
whether this change of franchise will Punjab Kings for Rs 18 crore, up from
help him rediscover his cricketing his existing fee of Rs 16.35 crore, while
identity or whether he would have Mumbai receive left-arm pacer Arsh-
been better off staying where he en- deep Singh at his existing fee of Rs 18
joyed his greatest success. crore.
Former India cricketer Moham- Kaif believes the absence of cap-
med Kaif believes the problem began taincy responsibilities could actually
much earlier, when Pandya decided to work in Pandya’s favour at Punjab.
leave Gujarat Titans (GT) and return The franchise, which has reached the
to Mumbai in 2024. In his assessment, IPL final twice but is still searching for
the decision was driven more by emo- its maiden title, will gain an experi-
tion than cricketing considerations, enced international all-rounder with-
costing the all-rounder a position of out necessarily having to place the
authority and confidence that he had burden of leadership on his shoulders.
built in Gujarat. “Many players want captaincy.
“It was a blunder by Hardik to But a lot of them do not perform well
leave GT. I think it was an emotional under the pressure of captaincy. It is
call. He had a connection with MI, and not everybody’s cup of tea. It is even
maybe that drew him back. It is always Pandya’s explosive batting, ability to finish games and knack for delivering crucial overs have more difficult in the IPL anyway. It
a tough call. You made GT champions will be good for Hardik that he is not
and were the king there. But that de- made him one of India’s most valuable limited-overs cricketers (ANI file photo) captain. At PBKS, he should look to
cision hurt him. He went backwards in regain his form as a batter, a bowler,
his performance and captaincy,” Kaif ance between leadership and individ- Returning to MI in 2024, he was ap- and a finisher,” Kaif said.
said on his YouTube channel. ual performance. In his first season pointed captain, replacing Rohit Shar- Leaving Gujarat in 2024 may in-
There is considerable merit in with Gujarat, he scored 487 runs in ma, but the transition proved difficult deed have been a mistake, as Kaif ar-
that assessment. Pandya’s Gujarat 14 matches, including four half-centu- both on and off the field. gues. He was leaving behind a success-
chapter was arguably the most suc- ries, and demonstrated a maturity in The numbers tell part of the story. ful team, a supportive environment
cessful phase of his IPL career. Mov- his batting that had not always been In 39 matches during his second stint and a leadership position in which he
ing to the newly established franchise evident earlier in his career. Across 31 with Mumbai, Pandya scored 647 runs had established himself. Returning
ahead of the 2022 season, he was matches as GT captain, he accumulat- at an average of 21.53 and a strike rate to Mumbai carried emotional signifi-
handed the captaincy and responded ed 833 runs at an average of 37.86 and of 147.82. He also claimed 29 wickets, cance, but the cricketing benefits were
in spectacular fashion, leading the a strike rate of 133.49, besides claim- but his overall impact remained below less certain.
team to the title in its debut campaign. ing 11 wickets. expectations. Mumbai finished ninth Moving to Punjab, however, is a
Gujarat reached the final again in His return to Mumbai, however, in 2024, reached the playoffs in 2025 different proposition. It gives him a
2023, establishing itself as one of the failed to reproduce that success. After and slipped to ninth again in 2026. chance to step away from the pres-
competition’s strongest sides. seven seasons with the franchise, Pan- For a player whose value lies in sures and disappointments of his
More importantly, Pandya ap- dya had moved to Gujarat and built a his ability to influence matches with Mumbai captaincy and concentrate
peared to have found the right bal- reputation as a title-winning captain. both bat and ball, the inconsistency on becoming a match-winner again.

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