Mumbai Indians Eye New Captain After Another Disappointing Season Under Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians are about to have some massive changes made in the upcoming IPL season. The team once again finished among the bottom teams in the tournament. This has raised serious concerns on the captaincy of Hardik Pandya lately.
Imagine a team having an IPL captain who won the title in his first ever season as a skipper. It was Hardik Pandya who got traded back to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans, and things were expected to be way good for Mumbai. But that didn't happen at all, due to which Pandya may no longer be the skipper of the team.
When Hardik Pandya arrived in MI in 2024, the team was able to finish among the bottom teams in the standings. They regained form in the 2025 season and made it to the knockout stages. Still, Pandya was unable to help the team reach the finals, as they were eliminated by Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2.
Now in the IPL 2026 season, the poor performances of Mumbai Indians under Hardik Pandya continued. The team finished 9th in the standings, as reports suggest that the management is looking for a new skipper. It remains to be seen what decision will the MI management take on Pandya's future.
Our Take
The move taken by Mumbai Indians to trade Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans seems to have backfired. While the expectations from this move were high, the results definitely didn't turn out as expected. Pandya was also not able to give his finest performances with both bat and ball throughout the season. Reports also claim that Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be the new skipper of the team in the upcoming IPL season.