Arshdeep took 4 for 70 at Eden Park, and Punjab Kings are reported to be close to trading him for Hardik Pandya
Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are reported to be near a swap that would send Hardik Pandya to Punjab and Arshdeep Singh and Vishnu Vinod to Mumbai, with retention lists due on 17 November.
Nov 4, 2026
Arshdeep Singh took 4 for 70 at Eden Park on Wednesday as New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in the first ODI. At home, his name was attached to a different story. Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are reported to be close to a trade that would send him to Mumbai and bring Hardik Pandya to Punjab.
The deal, as first reported by Sportstar, has Arshdeep and the wicketkeeper-batter Vishnu Vinod moving to MI in exchange for Hardik. According to that report, senior management at both franchises have all but agreed on the exchange, and the paperwork goes to IPL officials next. Neither franchise has confirmed anything.
How close is it?
That depends on who you read. Yahoo Sports, citing Cricbuzz, said the talks were still in their early stages and that a trade was far from guaranteed. A report on Wednesday called the talks decisive and said Punjab had asked for time to consider the proposal, with the next 48 hours expected to settle it.
Punjab are not the only side MI have talked to. Kolkata Knight Riders were in discussions earlier, but reports say they were unwilling to let Harshit Rana go as part of any deal. Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings have also been linked. MI sources have ruled out one thing at least. “SKY is not up for trade, and there have been no discussions, nor will there be,” they said of Suryakumar Yadav.
The money and the bowling
The fees are not far apart. Hardik has been on ₹16.35 crore since MI retained him before the 2025 season. Punjab used their Right to Match card to keep Arshdeep at ₹18 crore at the 2025 mega auction, after Sunrisers Hyderabad had taken the bidding that high. Vishnu Vinod joined Punjab at the same auction for ₹95 lakh.
What MI would get is a frontline left-arm quick, and reports say that is what they wanted from any Hardik deal. Arshdeep is 27 and India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, and he is in the middle of an ODI series in New Zealand. Hardik has not played competitive cricket since IPL 2026 and has been working on his fitness at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Not a captain at Punjab
Hardik has captained MI since he came back from Gujarat Titans before IPL 2024. Two of his three seasons in charge ended in the bottom two. At Punjab he would be playing under Shreyas Iyer, who led them to the IPL 2025 final.
Whatever happens has to happen soon. Teams must submit their retention lists by 17 November, and the auction is in Goa on 16 December.