2 min readUpdated: Oct 29, 2026 01:26 PM ISTHardik Pandya in action. (FILE photo)Hardik Pandya’s second stint at Mumbai Indians has not gone to plan; he couldn’t get the best out of the side from a captaincy perspective, nor could he sustain a run of scores or wicket-taking streaks with his own performance. In the end, there were murmurs about the unrest in the dressing room, and the tough call of moving on from Hardik had come. Former Indian cricketer R Ashwin predicted the teams Hardik could join. A move to Kolkata Knight Riders would be good for him because it could also give him an opportunity to become captain.“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 (Rajasthan Royals), 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,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.Speaking about Mumbai Indians, the former off-spinner was adamant that they need an Indian keeper and also a good set of bowlers. “MI desperately need an Indian keeper. They will also look to strengthen their bowling, which has been dismal 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,” Ashwin said.Ashwin also acknowledged that in addition to the above-mentioned teams, there are other teams in the race for Pandya.“There are as many as six teams in 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 (Chennai Super Kings), KKR, RR, GT (Gujarat Titans) and PBKS (Punjab Kings). 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© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdStay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Hardik PandyaAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement