Jasprit Bumrah over Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav? Fans pick Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2027

Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah (BCCI/IPL Photo) NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians captaincy talks are intensifying after the franchise endured a disastrous IPL 2026 season. One of the most successful teams in IPL history, known for their dominance over the years, Mumbai Indians had a forgettable campaign, managing just four wins in 14 matches, suffering 10 defeats and crashing out in the group stage.With another disappointing season under his belt, questions surrounding Hardik Pandya’s captaincy have been mounting from all quarters.After a disappointing season, TimesofIndia.com conducted a poll asking fans: Who should lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2027?Fans have overwhelmingly backed Jasprit Bumrah as the top contender to captain the five-time champions next season. Bumrah captained MI in one match this season, against Punjab Kings, when both Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav were unavailable, and led the side to victory in his first appearance as captain.Over 44 percent of fans voted for Bumrah to captain Mumbai Indians for IPL 2027.Rohit Sharma, who led MI to five IPL titles, finished second in the poll with over 27 per cent votes.Tilak Varma got 17 percent votes while Suryakumar Yadav got 10.6 percent support from fans.The TOI Sports panel also debated on who should lead Mumbai Indians next season. Most of them felt that Bumrah should be the captain rather than the franchise looking for another new face.For now, Bumrah could prove to be the ideal option to revive Mumbai Indians before the franchise finally looks at a long-term change in management.Pandya, who started his IPL journey and rose to fame with Mumbai Indians, was released by the five-time champions ahead of the 2022 season. He then joined Gujarat Titans as captain and instantly made history by leading the franchise to the IPL title in their inaugural season in 2022. In 2023, he led the Titans to another final where they narrowly lost to Chennai Super Kings.After two successful seasons with Gujarat Titans, Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma as captain. However, things did not go as planned for either Pandya or the franchise.Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the table in IPL 2024, winning only four matches and losing 10.The 2025 season saw some improvement as Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs. They defeated Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator before losing to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2. Once again, MI’s wait for the IPL title – their latest coming in 2020 – continued.IPL 2026 was expected to be the season when Mumbai Indians finally broke their six-year title drought. The pressure on Pandya and the franchise was immense. But things only got worse.

Which factor contributed the most to Mumbai Indians’ struggles in IPL 2026?

Nothing seemed to work for Mumbai Indians during the season. The team looked out of rhythm in all departments and Pandya himself missed a few matches. In the end, MI were relegated after another poor campaign with just four wins in 14 matches.