Mumbai Indians’ Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya (PTI Photo) With the Indian Premier League 2026 starting on March 28, Ravichandran Ashwin has raised key concerns about Mumbai Indians and their management structure. The veteran off-spinner believes that Suryakumar Yadav should have been given the captaincy, especially after he led India to their third T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year.The franchise handed over the leadership duties to Hardik Pandya following his high-profile move from Gujarat Titans ahead of the 2024 season. However, Mumbai’s title drought continued from 2020 and the change in leadership – which also saw Rohit Sharma replaced – sparked widespread debate.
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Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard address MI fans at Aamchi Mumbai Hardik’s appointment drew a strong reaction during IPL 2024, with fans openly expressing their displeasure at several venues. Despite this, he managed to turn the sentiment in his favor by playing a key role in India’s T20 World Cup success and ending a long wait for an ICC trophy. In IPL 2025, Mumbai Indians showed improvement by making it to the playoffs but their journey ended with a defeat in Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings.However, Ashwin feels the bigger problem lies in overlooking Suryakumar’s recent achievements as a leader. Since taking charge of the Indian T20I team in July 2024, the team has remained unbeaten in bilateral series, culminating in a World Cup win.“That Suryakumar Yadav is not the captain of Mumbai Indians is clear. Captain Usko dena hi chahiye (he should definitely be the captain). And the fact that it’s not happening, I’m sure, is a bit worrying,” Ashwin said on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat.At the same time, Ashwin acknowledged Hardik’s track record as a skipper. Under his leadership, Gujarat Titans clinched the IPL title in their debut season and finished runners-up the following year.“We should also look at Hardik’s captaincy credentials. As captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya won the title in his first season and the team came second in the second. When he came to Mumbai, he was expected to be the captain and continue that trend. But his first year was spent just handling the Rohit Sharma saga,” he added.Ashwin pointed out that Hardik now faces a difficult scenario heading into IPL 2026, with growing voices supporting Suryakumar as the more suitable captain.“Now he has to deal with a lot of people telling him that Suryakumar Yadav is the caretaker captain of the Indian team, but Hardik is the captain of Mumbai. It’s a very challenging situation; a lot of things can go through his mind. But I don’t think captain Hardik Pandya lacks credentials – he has them with captain Ashrat. He has done a great job for the Ashrat Titan.”“External matters aside, without any pressure and with the support of the players and the management, I still think Hardik can do a good job. He needs to use this team he has in the right way,” he added.Earlier, former India captain and selector Kris Srikkanth echoed a similar sentiment and suggested that Suryakumar should take the leadership role, with Hardik stepping aside for the national T20I captain.Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 29 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.
