'Hardik made a blunder by leaving GT': Mohammed Kaif after Pandya's MI departure

[[{“value”:”

Former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif believes all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a mistake by leaving Gujarat Titans (GT), where he lifted his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy as skipper, and urged him to rediscover his peak form with Punjab Kings (PBKS) following a difficult second spell at Mumbai Indians (MI).

Following days of speculation, MI and PBKS finalised a blockbuster swap deal, sending Pandya to Punjab for Rs 18 crore, up from Rs 16.35 crore, while left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh joined Mumbai at his existing Rs 18 crore fee.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said that returning to MI hurt Pandya, who had enjoyed “king” status at GT after leading them to the 2022 title and the 2023 final, scoring 833 runs across 30 innings at an average of 37.86, including a career-best 487-run campaign in 2022.

“It was a blunder by Hardik to leave GT. I think it was an emotional call. He had a connection with MI, and maybe that drew him back. It is always a tough call. You made GT champions and were the king there. But that decision hurt him. He went backwards in his performance and captaincy. It would be better for him to forget the second part with MI as soon as he can and move forward,” said Kaif.

Across three underwhelming seasons back at MI, Hardik Pandya managed 647 runs at an average of 21.53 and 29 wickets in 39 games, with Mumbai finishing bottom in 2024 and ninth in 2026 around a 2025 playoff berth.

Freedom from captaincy will benefit Pandya at PBKS, says Kaif

Advising Pandya to focus purely on batting and bowling, Kaif added that leaving leadership duties will ease his workload, while Arshdeep, PBKS’ all-time leading wicket-taker with 111 scalps in 96 matches, moves to bolster MI’s pace attack.

“Many players want captaincy. But a lot of them do not perform well under the pressure of captaincy. It is not everybody’s cup of tea. It is even more difficult in the IPL anyway. It will be good for Hardik that he is not captain. At PBKS, he should look to regain his form as a batter, a bowler, and a finisher. There is no doubt that he is a great player. So it is good that he is not the captain. He can focus on his game. Being an all-rounder and a captain is all the more difficult,” he said.

“}]]