Mumbai Indians are set to handover the captaincy of the team to former India skipper Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2027 season.
Published: October 30, 2026, 3:39 PM IST
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Rohit Sharma is set to be reappointed as MI captain(Photo: IANS)
IPL 2027: It has been a remarkable turnaround for former India captain Rohit Sharma in the last couple of monthsJust ahead of third ODI against England at Lord’s there was speculation that Rohit Sharma will be forced into international retirement but now the 39-year-old is set to return as captain of Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL 2027 season.
Rohit had been forced to handover the captaincy of MI to Hardik Pandya, when the all-rounder had returned to the franchise ahead of IPL 2025But after just a couple of seasons, Rohit Sharma is set to replace Hardik at the helm.
According to a report by Indian Express, Rohit Sharma is set to be handed the captaincy reigns of MI in IPL 2027Rohit’s appointment comes close of the heels of a complete coaching overhaul by the five-time IPL winning team with Kieron Pollard taking over as head coach in place of Mahela Jayawardene.
They’re back
#TeamIndia | @imVkohli | @ImRo45 https://t.co/pmFz19G9DU
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 30, 2026
The report states that Nita Ambani-owned franchise had wanted Rohit Sharma to take over the captaincy from Hardik Panya mid-way through IPL 2026Under Hardik, MI won only 4 matches in IPL 2026 earlier this year and finished in 9th place on the Points TableMI had reached the Playoffs stages in IPL 2025 but lost to Punjab Kings and failed to reach the final.
Under Hardik Pandya, MI had lost 10 of 14 games and have not won an IPL titleRohit Sharma, on the other hand, had led them to all five IPL titles in their historyApart from Rohit Sharma, the option of Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah was also there to take over MI captaincy.
Rohit Sharma had suggested Tilak Varma’s name as captain
Rohit Sharma has 56 per cent win-percentage as captain in the Indian Premier LeagueIn 158 matches as MI captain, he has won 87 games and lost 67But Rohit, who was retained for Rs 16.35 crore by Nita Ambani’s MI ahead of IPL 2026, had reportedly suggested Tilak Varma’s name to take over as MI skipper.
“Rohit initially had suggested Tilak Varma’s name but the franchise has requested him to take over captaincy which he has now agreedThere were series of talks that had happened before him flying to New Zealand and Rohit’s suggestions were sought during appointment of new coaches as well,” a source close to MI was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
But with Rohit returning to the helm, Hardik Pandya’s future with MI looks increasingly uncertainSince the end of IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya has been linked with possible moves to other teams.
However, if Pandya’s trade doesn’t materialize ahead of IPL 2027, the all-rounder has agreed to play under the captaincy of Rohit SharmaHe had been repeatedly booed by the Wankhede Stadium crowd in IPL 2025 after replacing Rohit Sharma as MI captain.
Earlier on Friday, MI announced the appointment of Robin Uthappa, Mitchell McClenaghan, TDilip and Dhawal Kulkarni as their support staff to join head coach Kieron PollardUthappa will be batting coach while McClenaghan is the bowling coach while Dilip will be the fielding coach.
Rohit Sharma is set to return to international cricket in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand beginning at Eden Park in Auckland on November 4.
