Hardik Pandya to Lead KKR in IPL 2027? Michael Vaughan Asks MI to Release Captain After Debacle

KKR vs MI, IPL 2026: With so much speculations surrounding MI captain Hardik Pandya over his future at the franchise, former England captain Michael Vaughan has made a suggestion. Vaughan wants MI to release Hardik and then he wants Kolkata to rope in the allrounder as the captain of the side. While the idea does not sound all that bad, but currently the thought is rather wild. Vaughan asked KKR to give Cameron Green to Mumbai and get Hardik in return. For the unversed, Green was brought onboard by KKR for a whopping Rs 25.20 Cr.

It is no secret that if one needs Hardik, they need to have the budget to gun for him. 

ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya Wins Hearts Despite Loss vs KKR: 'Let Them Smile Freely'

‘Replace him with Cameron Green’

During a show on Cricbuzz, Vaughan said: "Release,". And then added the suggestion. "Replace him with Cameron Green," he added.

"If he wants to carry on as captain, then he'd better be with a fresh set of captains. Maybe KKR. Kolkata will be looking for a new captain. That is why the Green-Hardik swap," Vaughan explained why he wanted the Hardik-Green swap.

While there have been whispers about Hardik not wanting to remain in the MI franchise, there has been nothing official on this. 

KKR Beat MI

After the loss against KKR, MI captain Hardik reckoned they were 20 runs short and that hurt them in the end. 

"As a batting group, we were 20 short. I think we lost a lot of wickets in powerplay, but if Tilak and I would have stayed longer, and we had stitched a couple of more partnerships and got those 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a decent chance," Hardik said at the post-match presentation. 

MI will play their final game of the season against Rajasthan Royals. They would definitely like t9o sign off on a high.