Not Rohit Sharma!! Players Who Can Captain Mumbai Indians If Hardik Pandya Gets Ruled Out Of IPL 2024

Mumbai Indians announced Hardik Pandya as their new skipper for the 2024 season removing Rohit Sharma from his role. Rohit Sharma has been the most successful captain in the IPL and has won five IPL titles for MI as a captain. However, Hardik Pandya is currently injured, and there are doubts about his participation in the IPL 2024. If Hardik Pandya is not available then MI needs to find a replacement captain as soon as possible.

Hardik Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction and Mumbai Indians announced him as their new skipper after a few days of the trade. However, if he is unavailable for the season, MI will have to find someone to lead the side in the upcoming IPL season. Hardik is currently nursing an ankle injury he got in the match against Bangladesh during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Mumbai Indians could go back to Rohit Sharma asking him to lead the side for another season but there is also a question if Rohit would agree to lead the side after being removed. However, there are a few options for Mumbai Indians who are great leadership materials and can lead the side with their full potential. Mumbai Indians are known for developing players and their current batch is cooked enough to give a stand-in captain who can win them matches.

Here Are Three Players Who Can Lead Mumbai Indians Apart From Hardik Pandya And Rohit Sharma:

1. Suryakumar Yadav:

Suryakumar Yadav was the deputy of Rohit Sharma in the 2023 season and captained Mumbai Indians in a game against Kolkata Knight Riders. Mumbai Indians won the match under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy and he also scored a quickfire 43 to help MI chase the target. He has captained India in the T20I format and has been a successful captain with wins against Australia and South Africa. Under his leadership, India won the T20I series against Australia 4-1. He can lead the Mumbai-based franchise if Hardik is unavailable for the season.

2. Jasprit Bumrah:

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the senior members of the MI squad and has a great experience. He joined the franchise back in 2013 and since then he has been a regular member of the squad. Jasprit Bumrah has led the Indian Team in one Test and two T20Is and he was successful in winning the T20I series against Ireland as a captain earlier this year in August. He is also a great option to lead the side in the absence of Hardik Pandya.

3. Ishan Kishan:

Many of us might have ignored behind his hitting capability but the Pocket-Dynamo of MI is also a really good leadership material. He has led the India Under 19 team in the 2016 Under 19 World Cup. India reached the finals under his leadership but fell short against the West Indies in the finals. Ishan Kishan joined Mumbai Indians in 2018 and has been one of their most prolific batters.

One of these three players could be leading the Mumbai Indians if Hardik Pandya fails to recover in time because going back to Rohit Sharma is not looking like a viable option. It will be an interesting season for Mumbai Indians and they would like to finish as champions again.