Even as IPL 2026 is about to get underway in five days, the buzz around the Mumbai Indians leadership refuses to die. While the five-time winners are set to continue with Hardik Pandya as their captain, the latest voice to join the captaincy debate is 1983 World Cup winner and former BCCI chief selector Kris Srikkanth, who has made a startling suggestion: Hardik should voluntarily step down as captain.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Monday (March 23, 2026), Srikkanth characterised MI’s current structure as a “funny situation,” pointing out the tactical irony of having two T20 World Cup-winning captains, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, playing under Pandya.
They should ask Surya to lead Mumbai Indians
Srikkanth’s argument is also about shifting the franchise’s faith in a new leader after a difficult few years. Since their last title in 2020, silverware has eluded the five-time champions, with a bottom-of-the-table finish in 2024 and a playoff exit in 2025.
“They should ask Surya to lead this year to see if there is a change of luck,” Srikkanth stated. “Hardik is a good captain but from the outside, the obvious choice should be Suryakumar Yadav, who just won the T20 World Cup for the Men in Blue.”
Srikkanth believes that if Pandya himself initiates the transition, it would resolve the internal “pulls and pressures” that have shadowed the team since Rohit Sharma was unceremoniously replaced in 2024.
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The ‘Three-captain’ conundrum
While the management has made efforts to show a united front, including a recent viral video of Rohit and Hardik sharing a stage, the presence of three alpha leaders in one dugout creates a unique situation.
Hardik Pandya is their current designated captain, looking to prove he can win without the Ashish Nehra-Gujarat Titans system where he won a title in their first season and took them to the final in the very next.
Suryakumar Yadav is India’s current T20I captain, whose leadership stock is at an all-time high following the 2026 World Cup triumph.
Rohit Sharma remains their legacy leader, who still commands the emotional loyalty of the Wankhede crowd, leading the MI franchise to each of their five crowns.