Dubai: Mumbai Indians (MI) could face a major leadership decision ahead of IPL 2027, with reports of Hardik Pandya potentially leaving the franchise putting their captaincy plans under the spotlight. This has led to rumours around Rohit Sharma’s return as the franchise skipper.
Pandya returned to Mumbai in a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans ahead of the 2024 season after captaining GT to the IPL title in 2022. The move also stirred rumours that Pandya only returned to his former team with the demand of taking over the captaincy from Rohit.
However, MI have struggled for consistency under his leadership, finishing last in 2024, reaching Qualifier 2 in 2025 and ending the 2026 campaign in ninth place.
While some reports have suggested Rohit returning to the role a possibility, NDTV has reported that there is no truth to reports of a captaincy change.
Mumbai Indians have not held internal discussions about its captain for next season, although it is exploring a possible trade involving Pandya. No suitable deal has been found so far.
The report also states that if Pandya leaves, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Mitchell Santner are among the potential candidates to take over.
Suryakumar led India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title, while Tilak has established himself as a key player for MI and serves as India’s T20I vice-captain. Santner also brings leadership experience as captain of New Zealand’s white-ball teams.
Rohit, meanwhile, remains one of the most successful captains in IPL history. He guided Mumbai to five titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 before being replaced by Pandya ahead of IPL 2024.
With uncertainty surrounding Pandya’s future, Mumbai has several options to consider. However, the franchise is yet to decide on who will lead the team in IPL 2027.