Chennai Super Kings have addressed the rumours linking them with a Hardik Pandya trade ahead of IPL 2027. CEO Kasi Viswanathan gave a direct answer when RevSportz asked him about it, and left no room for guessing.
“CSK have not even reviewed the season yet, and we will only do so after the MLC (Major League Cricket) is complete. I am currently in the United States. We have not spoken to anyone, and all that is being said about Hardik and CSK is untrue.”
Kasi Viswanathan, CSK CEO, to RevSportz, July 1, 2026
View this post on Instagram
Viswanathan is CSK’s chief executive, and the franchise’s main voice whenever a trade story comes up. He was speaking from the United States, where CSK’s ownership group also runs the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket.
Hardik Pandya has captained Mumbai Indians since returning to the franchise in 2024, in an all cash deal worth ₹15 crore. He had led Gujarat Titans to a title and a final in the two seasons before that.
The talk started after MI’s defeat to CSK at Chepauk on May 2. Pandya won the toss, chose to bat, and MI folded for 159. After the game, he was seen in a long conversation with Viswanathan on the field, and a clip of it went viral.
It has not let up since. MI finished the season in ninth place, with Pandya’s own form dropping off, 206 runs in 10 games and just 4 wickets. CSK finished eighth, missing the playoffs for a third season running under Ruturaj Gaikwad.
It was that kind of season for Pandya, bad enough that an earlier piece looked at his struggles from a different angle entirely, tracing how AI-optimised fielding placements got the better of him and a few other top batters this year.
🚨Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanath to Revsportz:
“CSK has not even done the review of the season yet and we will only do so after the MLC is complete. I am currently in the US. We have not spoken to anyone and all that is being said about Hardik and CSK is untrue”.
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) July 1, 2026
An MI spokesperson also responded to RevSportz. They said the team’s post season review had only just started, and that every option would be looked at before anything is decided. Nothing was ruled out for later in the window.
Pandya himself has not made any public comment on the rumours.
Nothing here rules the deal in or out. CSK have been through this exact routine before. In November, they laughed off rumours about signing Sanju Samson in a video from their own account, then confirmed that trade six days later. Whether this denial holds the same way is something only the trade window itself will answer.
Sources
- CSK CEO interview, RevSportz, July 1, 2026 — RevSportz
- Samson-Jadeja-Curran trade confirmation, ESPNcricinfo, November 15, 2025 — ESPNcricinfo
- CSK CEO delivers verdict on Hardik Pandya transfer, Cricket News, July 1, 2026 — Yahoo Sports
