A day after Hardik Pandya’s Instagram activity sent the internet spiralling, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin intensified the frenzy with his latest social media post discussing what the Chennai Super Kings should plan for IPL 2027.
CSK crashed out of the playoff race after losing their final league-stage match against the Gujarat Titans, marking the third straight season in which the five-time champions failed to progress beyond the league phase.
On Monday, hours after the Mumbai Indians completed a disastrous campaign with a 10th defeat, a 30-run loss against the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium, Hardik shared an Instagram story that triggered massive speculation online.
The “07:07” timestamp on his phone in the post led many fans to speculate that it hinted at a possible move to CSK, while others believed the pink colour theme pointed towards the Rajasthan Royals instead.
A day later, Ashwin appeared to fuel the chatter further with his own “07:07” reference on X.
Interestingly, the tweet itself had nothing to do with Hardik initially. A fan had asked Ashwin whether CSK should target Matheesha Pathirana for next season if Kolkata Knight Riders released him after an injury-marred IPL 2026 campaign, during which the Sri Lankan pacer managed just one appearance before suffering another setback.
Ashwin agreed and then expanded on what he felt could strengthen CSK’s squad. Instead of directly naming Hardik, he cryptically referred to “07:07”, suggesting the player would add firepower to the middle order alongside Shivam Dube. He also dragged Ben Stokes into the conversation, saying the England Test captain could bring balance to the side alongside compatriot Jamie Overton.
The post immediately reignited transfer speculation across social media, with fans attempting to decode whether Ashwin was subtly hinting at Hardik joining CSK ahead of IPL 2027.
As things stand, however, the entire conversation remains purely speculative.
Hardik, meanwhile, endured a disappointing IPL 2026 season both as captain and all-rounder. He scored just 206 runs in 10 matches at an average of 22.89 and strike rate of 138.25, while picking up only four wickets.
After Mumbai’s defeat against Rajasthan, batting coach Kieron Pollard remained non-committal about Hardik’s future as captain.
“From a leadership perspective on Hardik, yes, it has not gone as well as he would have wanted as an individual,” Pollard said.
“It might not have gone how we would have wanted as a management staff. But one thing you should know is that we have tried everything to give him the best opportunity to lead the franchise and do well.”
