IPL 2027: Amid the winds of change, Rohit Sharma is the glue Mumbai Indians need right now

Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard NEW DELHI: The elevation of Kieron Pollard as the new head coach and the exits of Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson from the Mumbai Indians (MI) setup have already hit the reset button in the camp. The appointment of a fielding coach and an assistant coach are still pending, but the winds of change have well and truly arrived as the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions look to return to their glory days.However, the captaincy remains the biggest and most important piece of the puzzle.Should they go back to Rohit Sharma? The man who led them to five titles and understands the setup better than any other player? Or should they take a forward looking approach with someone like Tilak Varma? What about Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav?At 39, Rohit is not the best bet the franchise can make for the next cycle, but is more about restoring normality, allowing Pollard to ease into his new role and possibly groom another leader in the final year of the ongoing cycle. With extensive changes to the support staff, the sense of familiarity within the leadership group will only make the transition and preparation for future challenges smoother.Pollard and Rohit played together for several years in MI. The West Indian was part of a famous ‘engine room’ that also included Hardik and Krunal Pandya that propelled the franchise forward during their golden days and flourished when Rohit was at the helm.That’s not to say these two are the perfect recipe to restore order to that locker room, but looking at an inexperienced candidate at this stage will only complicate matters. Tilak is making huge strides in his cricket career and is surely the future leader of MI and Indian cricket. But right now, it’s a delicate balancing act between need and desire that could help management find some answers.A return to Rohit should in no way be seen as closing the door on someone like Tilak. It’s about keeping that door firmly locked until the stormy phase is long past and management has some sense of direction with the new staff.The 2027 edition will be more about peaceful survival and fixing things as a group before hitting the right reset button before the mega auction. Until then, even the biggest names in the set-up, barring Hardik Pandya, whose potential trade is the talk of the town, will struggle to co-exist. A sense of familiarity will help you avoid the drama that followed the high-profile Pandya trade in 2023.