Hardik Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians for his second spell has not delivered the results the franchise would have hoped for. Brought in ahead of the 2024 season after Rohit Sharma stepped aside as captain, Hardik has managed just a single playoff appearance in the last three years. The 2024 campaign ended with MI rooted to the bottom of the table, and with IPL 2026 currently leaving them placed in ninth position, another struggle looks increasingly possible—one that could even see them finish with the wooden spoon again. With the pressure mounting around the MI setup, former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged a decisive break between the franchise and Hardik, even floating a striking swap concept.
When asked what Mumbai should do with Hardik going into the upcoming auction, Vaughan did not hold back. “Release,” he said, adding that he has not seen the right fit in bringing Hardik back into the MI environment. In Vaughan’s view, Hardik had already delivered at Gujarat Titans, where he won a title with a different group of players and under a different coaching setup. He also argued that MI may be carrying too much “chef” energy in the dressing room, suggesting that simplifying the leadership and roles could benefit the team. “I feel Mumbai have got too many chefs in the kitchen, so I’d take one chef out,” Vaughan explained.
Vaughan then went a step further and suggested a bold trade direction: replacing Hardik with Cameron Green. The idea, as he framed it, is that MI could change their balance while giving Green a new opportunity at the franchise level. “Replace him with Cameron Green,” he said. Vaughan recalled the sequence that brought Hardik back to Mumbai in the first place: ahead of IPL 2024, MI traded Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and, in return, secured Hardik’s services from Gujarat Titans. That deal made Hardik look like the natural successor to Rohit for India’s white-ball leadership expectations at the time.
On why a Green-for-Hardik swap could work, Vaughan pointed to the possibility of Kolkata Knight Riders looking for a captain. He suggested that if KKR are interested in continuing with Hardik as captain, they may want a different captain option instead—creating a scenario where Green could be the man to move to Mumbai while Hardik finds a fresh start elsewhere. “If he wants to carry on as captain, then he’d better be with a fresh set of captains. Maybe KKR. Maybe they’re going to look for a captain as well. That’s why, Cameron comes to Mumbai, someone else will captain Mumbai. Hardik goes to KKR, fresh start for him as captain,” Vaughan said.
The criticism of Hardik’s recent IPL form is also hard to ignore. During IPL 2026, he has had a campaign to forget, managing just 172 runs across nine matches at a strike-rate of 128.35, along with four wickets. In contrast, Green’s season has shown clearer all-round impact, even though he started slowly. The 26-year-old has begun to justify his ₹25.20 crore valuation through consistent contributions in both departments, scoring 320 runs in 13 games at a strike-rate of 146.78 while also picking up seven wickets.
