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Tilak Varma, the Mumbai Indians youngster, is most likely to succeed Hardik Pandya as the captain of the Mumbai Indians side, as the MI management has handed former skipper Rohit Sharma the key role to pick an ideal man suitable for the role.
The Mumbai Indians had one of the worst seasons in IPL history under their new skipper Hardik Pandya. The Mumbai Indians finished second last in the points table with just four wins after having played all fourteen matches in the competition.
The MI management have hence decided to move on from Hardik Pandya, the man whom they once appointed the captain of the side, trusting his abilities following his tremendous success at the Gujarat Titans.
Mumbai Indians hand massive responsibility to Ex-Captain Rohit Sharma
Several reports from NDTV have revealed that the Mumbai Indians' next captain would be the one who would have Rohit Sharma's blessings. The management has learned its lesson from the poor decision to replace Rohit in 2023.
The bosses have decided to avoid any such situation in the future and hence have named Rohit Sharma as the next instrumental role player in picking the next captain for the Mumbai Indians.
"The next Mumbai Indians captain will be the one who has the blessings of Rohit Sharma. Mumbai realise the mistake they have made. But it will not be Rohit himself," the source, one of the top coaches and former India player, told when asked about Hardik's future.
"The next Mumbai Indians captain will be the one who has the blessings of Rohit Sharma. Mumbai realise the mistake they have made. But it will not be Rohit himself."
— CREX (@Crex_live) May 29, 2026
Source: NDTV#Cricket #MumbaiIndians #IPL pic.twitter.com/ZszL04OcWw
Real reason behind Hardik Pandya quitting MI revealed
It has been speculated for a long time that Hardik Pandya is leaving the Mumbai Indians squad following a stunning season. However, some recent NDTV reports have confirmed that his exit is due to a disturbing relationship with the management.
"Hardik will seek a transfer. It is not just about captaincy but about personal realities as well. Can you work for a company when you don't have a good relation with the management?" he added.
Many Mumbai Indians fans also said that they should have poached Ashish Nehra, the GT coach, as well, when they decided on their trade deal with Hardik Pandya. However, it doesn't seem as easy as it sounds.
"But this is the reality of IPL. No franchise can poach coach and captain from the other franchise. Why would Ashish Nehra come?" the source concluded.
Tilak Varma is likely to step in as the Mumbai Indians' skipper
When it was said that someone with Rohit Sharma's blessings could be appointed the next skipper of the side, Tilak Varma is one such player who seems to be the only choice within the current MI squad.
The left-handed youngster from India has been a crucial part of the Indian T20I setup and has also played a massive role in Mumbai's limited success in the past four seasons. Tilak Varma is a consistent run-scorer every season; however, he is yet to show some amount of dependency.
Tilak Varma has already been handed some key captaincy roles, as he leads the Hyderabad State team in domestic cricket, and Tilak Varma has also been appointed India A's captain on several occasions.
ALSO READ: Not Rohit, Suryakumar or Bumrah: Mumbai Indians need a different captain after Hardik Pandya
