GT rejects Hardik Pandya’s comeback trade deal ahead of IPL 2027

Another twist unfolds in the ongoing saga surrounding Hardik Pandya’s IPL future. Reports initially surfaced about Hardik Pandya moving from Mumbai Indians back to Gujarat Titans, with the Titans' management and captain Shubman Gill reportedly ready to welcome him back. However, Hardik demanded the captaincy, a request the franchise immediately rejected, causing the deal to fall through.

"The franchise was fine with him making a return. They had even discussed the same with their captain Shubman Gill, and he, too, had agreed that the franchise could trade him back. But when his condition of captaincy was put up, everyone said no to it," the paper quoted a source as saying. 

That said, according to Hardik's spokesperson, there were no direct discussions between the player and the franchise; all talks took place solely between the franchises involved.

"Hardik Pandya had no direct conversation with any franchise whatsoever regarding a transfer, trade, or otherwise. If any approach has been made to him, that has been directed to the MI franchise," Pandya's spokesperson said. 

It was under Hardik Pandya's captaincy that Gujarat Titans won the IPL title in their debut year (2022) and also reached the final in 2023. Subsequently, Mumbai Indians traded him back. However, MI's performance under Hardik's captaincy was quite poor. While the team did reach Qualifier 2 in 2025, they finished among the bottom teams in 2024 and 2026, leading the franchise to release him. Reports suggest that MI might release several senior players—including Hardik Pandya—ahead of the 2027 IPL auction. MI is reportedly looking to rebuild their squad. 

Over the past few days, there have been persistent reports regarding a potential trade involving Hardik Pandya and various franchises. Before the Gujarat Titans, there was talk of trade deals involving the star all-rounder with Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Rajasthan Royals. It remains to be seen which franchise Hardik Pandya will join, or if MI will release him ahead of the auction. If that happens, he could become the subject of a record-breaking auction bid.