It seems almost certain that Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians (MI) will part ways. Although conflicting reports have emerged, stating that the MI captain and franchise haven’t discussed anything yet and that the management will review the disastrous Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season in due course.
Assuming Hardik and MI part ways, the 5-time champions will have to appoint a new captain for the IPL 2027 season. It’s learnt that Mumbai won’t revert to Rohit Sharma, their captain from 2013 to 2023 and under whom the franchise lifted the said trophies. However, his opinion will be valued.
It’s believed that Rohit wasn’t pleased with his removal as skipper ahead of the IPL 2024 season, with Hardik leaving the Gujarat Titans (GT) and returning to MI as their captain. He wasn’t at odds with Hardik but had issues with the management’s decision.
Rohit Sharma to decide MI’s next captain?
The move hasn’t gone well. MI have finished 10th, 4th (reached Qualifier 2), and 9th during Hardik’s tenure. It’s believed that there are factions inside the dressing room. The big names are either in camp Hardik or against his appointment. Rohit might be the only one who can bring the players together. So, the franchise is expected to seek his advice before appointing a new captain.
“The next Mumbai Indians captain will be the one who has the blessings of Rohit Sharma. Mumbai realise the mistake they have made. But it will not be Rohit himself,” a source, a top coach and former India cricketer, told NDTV.
Potential Hardik Pandya replacements
Mumbai has three potential replacements in their squad. The first is Suryakumar Yadav, who is India’s T20I captain and led Mumbai in two matches in IPL 2026 during Hardik’s injury absence. Next is Jasprit Bumrah, who made his IPL captaincy debut when both Hardik and Suryakumar were unavailable.
The third option is Tilak Varma. While the 23-year-old doesn’t have IPL captaincy experience, he has led Hyderabad in domestic cricket and currently captains India A in ODIs. He could be a forward-looking selection, similar to Rohit’s appointment in 2013. Unlike Suryakumar, who has been out of form, and Bumrah, who has dealt with injuries, Tilak could represent Mumbai for at least the next decade.
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