Mumbai : Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that the Mumbai Indians (MI) getting Arshdeep Singh makes the five-time champions a stronger side, pointing out how pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could be used more effectively and have a positive impact on their overseas slots.
After days of speculation and debates, the much-anticipated trade between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) has been completed. While MI have let go their star all-rounder and multi-time champion Hardik Pandya, the two-time finalists Punjab have traded their homegrown left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh to the other side.
Hardik will join PBKS at a fee of Rs 18 crore, up from his existing fee of Rs 16.35 crore, while Arshdeep will join MI at his existing fee of Rs 18 crore.
Posting on X, Pathan wrote, "The trade of Arshdeep Singh makes Mumbai Indians a much stronger side. It allows them to use Jasprit Bumrah even more effectively and also has a positive impact on their overseas slots."
Irfan is indeed right, as now MI has frontline bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult and Arshdeep Singh who can bowl in the powerplay. They also have another left-arm pace option in Ashwani Kumar, who has impressed in his 10 outings with the franchise, taking 17 wickets, including two four-wicket hauls. With Bumrah and Arshdeep also very reliable death over bowlers as well, MI has a multitude of bowling options who can take the ball in two extremely vital phases of the game, the powerplay and slog overs.
With Arshdeep in the MI line-up, the five-time champions could even field an all-Indian pace bowling attack with him, Bumrah, Deepak and Ashwani, an up and coming star. Fielding an all-Indian pace line-up would keep Boult out, but it could make room for one extra overseas all-rounder. MI has some fine overseas stars who can bat with high strike rates and chip in with wickets, such as Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks (spin bowling all-rounders) and Sherfane Rutherford and Corbin Bosch (pace bowling all-rounders). MI already has some Indian all-round firepower such as Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur and even a young Raj Angad Bawa who could assist their overseas counterparts.
Pandya’s trade brings the curtain down on his second stint with MI, a franchise with which he won four IPL titles. Having first joined MI in 2015, Pandya developed into one of the league’s most impactful all-rounders, contributing with both bat and ball during the team’s title-winning campaigns in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
After seven seasons with Mumbai, Pandya moved to Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of IPL 2022 and made an immediate impact as captain, leading the franchise to the title in its debut season. GT also reached the final in 2023 before Pandya returned to MI in 2024 and took over the captaincy. Across 162 IPL matches, he has scored 2,955 runs at a strike rate of 146.28 and claimed 82 wickets, underlining his value as a proven match-winner.
However, Hardik's second stint with MI spanning three seasons was underwhelming, as he could score only 647 runs in 39 matches and 35 innings at an average of 21.53 and a strike rate of 147.82, with a best score of 48*. He took 29 wickets in 39 matches at an average of over 34, with a five-wicket haul to his name. In the 2025 season, MI did reach the playoffs but finished at the bottom and in 9th place in the 2024 and 2026 seasons, respectively, under Hardik's captaincy.
Arshdeep, meanwhile, moves to MI after eight seasons with PBKS, the franchise where he made his IPL debut in 2019 and established himself as one of the competition’s leading left-arm fast bowlers. With 111 wickets in 96 IPL matches, he is PBKS’ all-time leading wicket-taker.
Arshdeep’s ability to make early breakthroughs with the new ball and deliver under pressure in the death overs has made him a key component of Punjab’s bowling attack. He claimed 21 wickets in IPL 2025 and followed that with 14 wickets in the 2026 season. His left-arm pace and ability to deliver across different phases of an innings will add considerable depth to MI’s bowling attack.