Mumbai Indians sign Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya moves to Punjab Kings

Before the start of IPL 2027, a major player exchange took place between the Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. The captain of Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya, will now play for Punjab Kings, while Arshdeep Singh, who is the leading bowler in terms of wickets taken in T20 International India, will join the Mumbai Indians squad. The franchise change process for both players has been completed.

Hardik Pandya's move to Punjab Kings marked the end of his second stint with Mumbai Indians. Hardik began his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2015. He was part of the team that won titles in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. After seven seasons with Mumbai, he moved to Gujarat Titans in 2022, where he received the captaincy role and helped the team become champions in the first season. The Gujarat team also reached the final in 2023.

In 2024, Hardik returned to Mumbai Indians and was appointed their captain. Now his franchise has changed again. During his participation in the IPL, Hardik has played 162 matches, scoring 2955 runs at an average of 146.28 and taking 82 wickets.

For his part, Arshdeep Singh will move to Mumbai Indians after eight seasons with Punjab Kings. He debuted for Punjab in 2019. The left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep gained recognition for his swing and accurate bowling at the end of overs. He is the bowler with the most wickets in Punjab Kings history, having taken 111 wickets in 96 matches.

In IPL 2025, Arshdeep took 21 wickets, and in the 2026 season, 14 wickets. His ability to take early wickets with the new ball and perform effectively under pressure in the death overs could prove very important for Mumbai Indians.

As part of this exchange, Punjab Kings will pay Hardik Pandya 18 crore rupees, whereas his current salary was 16.35 crore rupees. Arshdeep Singh will play for Mumbai Indians on his current salary of 18 crore rupees. This major exchange is an important step for both teams towards refreshing their squads for IPL 2027.

A match between India and Nepal took place on November 6 as part of the 2026 Men's U19 Asian Cup. This match was held at the Al Amarat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1) in Al-Amarat. The Indian team was tasked with scoring 129 runs to win. The Indian team's game is currently in progress.

Aryavir Sachwag and Lakshmi Raichandani are on the field. After eight overs, India's score is 44/0.

Nepal, having lost the draw and starting the game first, was eliminated after 42.3 overs, having scored only 128 runs. Darsh Sonar made the biggest contribution to Nepal's score, scoring 43 runs off 93 balls with one four and one six. Aashish Luhar also played well, scoring 29 runs off 45 balls, including four fours.

Darsh and Aashish formed a partnership of 45 runs for the fifth wicket. Besides them, Niraj Kumar Yadav (20 runs) was the only batsman to reach a double-digit score.

For India's bowling, Ishan Sud took three wickets, conceding 18 runs. Spinner Arjun Rajput also secured three wickets. Yashvir Gaud took two wickets, while Kavya Chauhan and Manal Patel dismissed one player each.

India's squad for this match included: Aryavir Sachwag, Anway Dravid (wicketkeeper), Arjun Rajput, Ishan Sud, Kavya Patel, Lakshmi Rajesh Raichandani (captain), Manal Chauhan, Mohit Ulwa, Yashvir Gaud, VK Vinith, and Yashbardhan Chauhan.

Nepal's squad included: Aashish Luhar (wicketkeeper), Abhay Yadav, Bipin Sharma (captain), Darsh Sonar, Niraj Kumar Yadav, Nishal Chhetri, Nitesh Patel, Prasad Jaishi, Sachin Bhatt, Sushil Rawal, and Suryanshu Koirala.

The five-time champion Mumbai Indians might potentially entrust the team leadership to Rohit Sharma again for the IPL 2027 season. According to The Indian Express, the franchise made this decision, and Rohit himself agreed to such changes. However, no official statement has been released by Mumbai Indians yet.

Under Rohit Sharma's leadership, the team won the IPL title five times, and he is among the most successful captains of the tournament alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni. On the other hand, in the last season, the team lost 10 out of 14 matches under Hardik Pandya's guidance and finished in ninth place.

According to the publication, discussions about a change in captain began during the last season. Possible candidates included Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and young batter Tilak Verma.

It is reported that initially, Rohit Sharma proposed handing over the captaincy duties to Tilak Verma, but the franchise insisted that he take charge. Numerous discussions on this matter took place between him and the management before his departure to New Zealand.

Parallel to the news of the captain change, questions are arising about Hardik Pandya's future in the Mumbai Indians squad. There are rumors of his possible trade to another team from last season. According to the report, if the trade does not happen, Hardik would agree to play under Rohit's leadership.

Hardik was transferred from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians before the 2024 season and appointed as captain. Following this decision, he has repeatedly faced ridicule from home fans at the Wankhede stadium.

Mumbai Indians also made adjustments to their coaching staff before the upcoming season. Kieron Pollard has been appointed as head coach instead of Mahela Jayawardene. Robin Uthappa will take over as the attack coach, and former fast bowler Michael McClenaghan from New Zealand will become the bowling coach. Additionally, T. Dileep has been appointed as the fielding coach, and Dhawal Kulkarani as the bowling development coach. Uthappa played for Mumbai in 2008, while McClenaghan and Kulkarani are known for their long association with the franchise.