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Sports

Mumbai Indians should make Rohit Sharma captain: Ex-India spinner amid Hardik Pandya trade rumours

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 26 Oct 2026 58 min ago

New Delhi: Former India spinner R Ashwin believes Mumbai Indians (MI) should appoint as captain once again amid rumours that Hardik Pandya is set to be traded by the franchise. MI is reportedly in talks with multiple franchises for a trade deal for their captain, Hardik.

Hardik, who left MI ahead of IPL 2022, returned to the franchise in 2024 and replaced Rohit as captain. However, Hardik has not enjoyed a great stint as captain with the five-time champions failing to make it to the playoffs in two of their last three seasons under him.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin suggested MI to bring back Rohit as captain as the senior batter is someone who knows the franchise inside out and can act as a ‘big brother’ for the younger players in the setup.

“It’s astounding MI didn’t qualify last season with the squad they have. MI should announce Rohit Sharma as the captain. Because he’s the one who can be central and like a big brother who protects a family. So it’ll be good for MI if he becomes captain,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Rohit is one of the most successful captains in the history of IPL. He led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles as captain from 2013 to 2023. Mumbai Indians last won the IPL in 2021, with Rohit as captain. They haven’t managed to lift the trophy in the last five seasons.

Won’t rule out Naman Dhir as captaincy option: Ashwin

While he backed Rohit to return as captain for the Mumbai Indians next season, Ashwin also expressed concerns over the senior batter’s availability. Rohit is 39 but remains one of the most prolific openers in white-ball cricket. Ashwin believes the senior batter can continue for a few years, but said Naman Dhir can also be a captaincy candidate if MI want a young leader.

“We don’t know if he’s (Rohit) going to play only one more year or longer. The same has been said about Dhoni, and he has ended up playing for many years and will likely return as a player again next season. In the future, I won’t rule out Naman Dhir also as a captaincy option in the future, looking at his clarity and unflappability, ” Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel.

Dhir has cemented his spot in the middle order for Mumbai Indians and has impressed with his performances. The all-rounder recently made his debut for India in both ODIs and T20Is and has produced some impactful knocks down the order in T20Is. Besides, Dhir, Mumbai Indians also have Tilak Varma as captaincy candidate from their current squad.

Tilak currently serves as deputy to skipper Shreyas Iyer for India in T20Is and has been part of the MI setup for quite some time now.

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