Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) are already in big trouble, and their consistent poor performance has already pushed them to 8th place in the IPL 2026 points table. Amidst their struggles, the news of Tilak Verma taking over as the captain of Mumbai Indians in the middle of the ongoing IPL 2026 left fans confused.
Several fan pages on social media claimed that Mumbai Indians have reportedly started making plans to move on from Hardik Pandya after the team’s continuous struggles in the tournament. But now a latest update has clarified the situation regarding these rumours.
Captaincy drama in Mumbai Indians amid IPL 2026
There was speculation that Tilak Verma could be given the captaincy in the middle of the ongoing IPL 2026. It was also said that the MI top management including owners Akash Ambani and Nita Ambani and head coach Mahela Jayawardene are not happy with Hardik Pandya.
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According to rumours, they also thought of bringing back Rohit Sharma as captain. However, Rohit has reportedly refused the captaincy and the Hitman himself has suggested Tilak’s name in his place. Not only this, allegedly because of Pandya the atmosphere in the MI dressing room has also deteriorated.
It was suggested that MI is not respecting the seniors including captain Rohit and coach Mahela and this is the reason behind the poor performance of the five-time IPL champions.
Hardik Pandya will remain the captain of Mumbai
But now, the real story in the MI camp has emerged ahead of their next IPL 2026 clash against SRH on April 29. It is being said that all these rumors are not true and Mumbai Indians are keeping Pandya as their captain, and no change is planned as of now.
A Times of India journalist posted,
All talks about captaincy change in MI are false. The team will continue to be captained by Hardik Pandya and currently he is in Jamnagar for his annual trip. Everything is fine!!. @mipaltan @hardikpandya7 #IPL2026
– Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) 25 April 2026
MI’s ups and downs ride under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya
Even if the rumors are fake, the pressure on Hardik Pandya is real. The journey of the Indian all-rounder has been full of ups and downs since assuming the captaincy in 2024. In his first season as captain, MI finished at the bottom of the table, which was a major setback for them.
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In 2025, things got better as MI made it to the playoffs and reached Qualifier 2. It seemed like the team was getting back on track, but again, in the ongoing IPL 2026, they are in a difficult position.
Hardik’s figures put him in the circle of questions
Hardik’s own performance has also been under question. In IPL 2024, the MI captain scored 216 runs at an average of 18 and took 11 wickets, but his economy rate was over 10.75. In 2025, he scored only 224 runs at an average of 24 and took 14 wickets at a better economy of 9.77.
And this season, Hardik has so far scored only 97 runs in 6 innings at an average of around 19, and his bowling has been expensive with an economy of 12.66, and he has taken only 3 wickets.