Published on: Nov 9, 2026 4:04 pm IST|Updated on: Nov 9, 2026 4:04 pm IST
Hardik Pandya is almost set to move to the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2027 in a blockbuster trade. The current Mumbai Indians skipper, who had a terrible return to his beloved franchise in the last two seasons, is set to get a new home with the Punjab Kings, who are readily trading their most reliable pacer, Arshdeep Singh, in exchange.
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The Hardik-Arshdeep trade is almost a done deal, with only formalities remaining. The 5-time champions, Mumbai Indians, now face a daunting challenge of naming their next skipper for the upcoming Indian Premier League season. The Mumbai Indians have never had a scarcity of superstars in their squad, and despite moving on from Hardik, the former champions still have a plethora of options to choose from to lead the side in the upcoming seasons. Here’s our take on who could possibly be the next Mumbai Indians skipper.
The Mumbai Indians have won 5 titles in the history of the competition, which also happens to be the joint-most by any team, along with Chennai Super Kings. Guess who the skipper was in all those 5 title-winning runs of MI? Yes, the answer is Rohit Sharma. A proven leader who has been associated with the team since 2011, Rohit Gurunath Sharma may have reached the twilight phase of his career, but he won’t mind leading Mumbai Indians yet again and helping the side end their trophy drought since 2020.
The right-hand batter, who will turn 40 by the next IPL season, has nothing left to prove in his stellar international and IPL career. With the franchise desperate to win its 6th IPL title, Rohit Sharma could well be bestowed with the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians, which was stripped from him ahead of the 2024 season.
Suryakumar Yadav is another name the MI management could look up to. A former T20 World Cup-winning skipper and India’s most successful T20I skipper, under whom the team never lost a single series, Suryakumar has quite a heavy and impressive resume to show.
The 36-year-old served as Hardik Pandya’s deputy in the last three seasons and also led the side in the all-rounder’s absence last season. Captaincy isn’t a new thing for the Mumbai batter, as he is the one who led the Indian team to their historic record 3rd T20 World Cup title earlier this year. Suryakumar could be the frontrunner to take over the reins from Hardik Pandya ahead of the Tata IPL 2027.
If the newly constructed Mumbai Indians’ backroom staff led by head coach Kieron Pollard is looking for a leader who could well be the future of the franchise, Tilak Varma should be the option they must rely upon. The 24-year-old left-hander from Hyderabad has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians batting lineup ever since his debut season in 2022.
Tilak is one of those batters who is flexible with his batting position and can bat anywhere between no 3 and no 7. With Tilak, the Mumbai Indians can opt for a skipper for the future who could lead the side for years to come. He could well be on the radar of new head coach Kieron Pollard as a possible captaincy candidate.