Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain and wants the franchise to retain Hardik Pandya ahead of the upcoming IPL 2027 auction. It has been reported by Sports Tak that Rohit can take back the captaincy onus from the all-rounder.
Rohit led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, and he is the most successful IPL captain along with MS Dhoni. However, Hardik Pandya replaced him as captain ahead of the 2024 season. But MI have managed to qualify for the playoffs on a solitary occasion in the last three seasons.
There were reports that Hardik Pandya could also be released by the five-time champions.
Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “If I were Mumbai Indians, I would be thinking about who could replace Hardik Pandya if I traded him. Who is a like-for-like replacement? There is no one. If I can keep Hardik happy at the same franchise, somehow or the other. It is not a bad option if MI make Rohit Sharma captain while retaining Hardik Pandya and if they could get the best out of him.”
Ashwin highlighted that Pandya has been dealing with a plethora of injuries and at the end of the day, he wants to be in a happy space.
He concluded, “What does Hardik want at this point? He has had so many injuries, and so much has been said about the situation. There has been a lot of talk about it. At the end of the day, a player would want to be happy and play cricket. He would want to be in a happy space. That is a decision Hardik and the franchise have to make together. If Rohit is able to manage that situation, Hardik has a better chance of staying at Mumbai, playing well and delivering good performances. But if Hardik feels that he has given it enough time, has struggled, and things are not working out for him, then there is a greater chance of him moving elsewhere.”
MI could not qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2026.
