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There is every possibility of Hardik Pandya being dismissed from the captaincy and he may also have to leave the franchise. However, Mumbai Indians have now revealed the other side of the story surrounding the MI captain and other players of the team.
Mumbai Indians is one of the most successful teams in the history of the competition; However, they have not had the fortune of winning the title since their last win in 2020. A team like Mumbai Indians, who has such a strong streak of not winning matches, has cast a cloud of uncertainty over his leadership.
The MI management made a major change and appointed Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team after a promising season in 2023 under Rohit Sharma when Mumbai Indians lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.
Reports add new dimension to Hardik Pandya’s possible rejection from MI captaincy
Hardik Pandya is likely to step down from captaincy after a disastrous season in 2026. Even during his successful season in 2025, the Indian all-rounder did not have much of a role. However, on the other hand, his batting and bowling form have also declined drastically in recent times.
A major reason for Hardik’s removal from captaincy is not only his poor form or leadership struggles but also his disagreements with the team management. Reports claim that things are not going well between Hardik and MI management.
Now recent claims from Sports Tak have revealed that several senior players of the MI team had approached Hardik Pandya with suggestions; However, he did not want to interact with them. He has been accused of being unapproachable and disrespectful towards many senior cricketers.
Tilak Verma or Suryakumar Yadav: Who will be the next MI captain in 2027?
Mumbai Indians are most likely to change their captaincy from the upcoming season of the competition. He is likely to take some big decisions before the start of the next season.
This season’s acting captain Suryakumar Yadav has been supported by many as the next captain of Mumbai Indians. However, this season has also seen a major decline in Surya’s form, and his age will also be a major concern for the captaincy role.
Tilak Verma is the other captaincy option who is most likely to be appointed the captain of the Mumbai Indians team. Tilak is the youngest and most promising star in the MI team, who is also the best futuristic option.
MI will make three possible changes in its team before IPL 2027
There are chances of some changes in Mumbai Indians before the start of the next season of IPL. Mumbai finished second to last in the points table due to their bowling failures; However, their batsmen did not fail on many occasions.
Mumbai will have to improve their bowling as the bowlers have been badly beaten. On the other hand, their middle-order batting will also need improvement, as the top three including Naman Dheer have contributed with the bat on most occasions.
Sherfane Rutherford, Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner are the overseas players who could be dropped ahead of their next season, and Boult’s exclusion will give MI some money to work with in the next mini-auction. The purse is also likely to benefit if Hardik Pandya is released in his first auction appearance.
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