Hardik Pandya's proposed Gujarat Titans trade collapses over captaincy demand

Hardik Pandya's proposed move from Mumbai Indians to Gujarat Titans has collapsed after he insisted on being reinstated as captain, according to The Indian Express. Gujarat Titans had discussed the possibility with current captain Shubman Gill, who reportedly agreed to the deal, but the captaincy condition proved unacceptable to the franchise. Hardik's camp denied that the all-rounder had direct conversations with any franchise regarding a trade.

Mumbai Indians finished ninth in IPL 2026 with four wins from 14 matches under Pandya's captaincy. Cricbuzz reported that Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings expressed interest in acquiring the all-rounder while Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals were also linked with him. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said Mumbai should only trade Pandya to KKR if they receive Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh in return.