Rohit Sharma likely to return as Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2027, says Sports Tak report
According to Sports Tak, MI's top management have moved on from Hardik Pandya after a ninth-place finish and are likely to hand the job back to their five-time title-winning captain. The franchise has not commented.
Rohit Sharma has a high chance of getting the Mumbai Indians captaincy back for IPL 2027, according to a report by Sports Tak. The report, published on Tuesday night, says MI are "likely to reinstate" Rohit after three seasons with Hardik Pandya in charge. Neither Mumbai Indians nor Rohit has said anything publicly about it.
TryBall has not independently confirmed the report. Everything below about MI's thinking is what Sports Tak says it has learnt.
What Sports Tak reported
According to Sports Tak, the franchise's top management have moved on from Hardik as captain and "seem to have gone back to Rohit Sharma". The report does not name its sources, saying only that Sports Tak "has learnt" of the plan, and it describes the decision as one MI "may have" reached rather than one that has been made final.
The report gives these reasons for the switch:
- Hardik's captaincy has been "lacklustre", in Sports Tak's words. MI reached the playoffs only once in his three seasons, in 2025.
- MI finished ninth in IPL 2026.
- Talk of a divide in the dressing room is said to have contributed to the poor season.
- MI value Rohit's experience, and he may only have a few seasons left. He turns 40 during IPL 2027.
Why not Suryakumar, Tilak or Bumrah?
Sports Tak also explains why MI are said to have looked past the other options:
- Suryakumar Yadav: he led MI in five games, winning two. The report says his IPL 2026 season, 270 runs in 13 innings, and his removal from India's T20I side may have counted against him.
- Tilak Varma: Sports Tak says his name was discussed. He has led Hyderabad, South Zone and India A and is Shreyas Iyer's T20I deputy, but the report suggests MI may want him to learn under Rohit first.
- Jasprit Bumrah: the report says his injury history kept him out of the conversation.
Rohit's record as MI captain
The case for Rohit is the record. These are the figures Sports Tak gives:
- Matches as MI captain: 163
- Wins: 93, a win percentage of 55.82
- IPL titles: five, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020
His last season in charge was 2023, when MI lost Qualifier 2 to a Gujarat Titans side led by Hardik. MI then brought Hardik back from Gujarat and made him captain for IPL 2024, a decision that drew a strong reaction from fans.
What about Hardik Pandya?
Sports Tak says Hardik had reportedly made up his mind to leave MI after last season, though it adds there has been no fresh news on that lately. As of now he has not been released. The report lists possible moves to Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants, through trades or a cash deal, but these are all in the rumour stage.
Not every report agrees
Other reports are mixed. The Cricket News, in a piece carried by Yahoo Sports, pointed to an NDTV report quoting an unnamed franchise source who said there had been "no internal discussions" about Rohit becoming captain again. Mumbai Indians have made no official statement either way.
What happens next
The clearest signal will come with retentions. According to Sports Tak, franchises have to submit their retained players by 15 November. If Hardik is traded or released before then, the captaincy question will be close to answered. Until MI say something themselves, this remains a report and not a decision.