Hardik Pandya's days as captain of the Mumbai Indians are reportedly set to end as the franchise's think tank will review the poor season, where MI finished ninth in the IPL 2026 points table. Hardik replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain ahead of 2024 but failed to take the team even into the playoffs in two of the three seasons.
A report in the Indian Express stated that three people in the MI setup have revealed that Hardik is likely to be removed as the captain. Moreover, his place in the team is also set to be discussed when the MI management meets next to review the season.
"There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn’t keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp," a source said as quoted by the English daily.
Senior players told to remain coachable
It further stated that the senior players must remain 'coachable' and put their egos aside. "The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable. There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something which was backed by data, but players didn’t follow it," a source said.
The MI management would be doing a 'serious introspection' and a 'discussion' in the next few days. "Every option would be weighed. Many questions need to be addressed. Going ahead, can Hardik be the captain? Does he stay in the team just as a player?" an old-timer MI source said.
MI's dwindling performances under Hardik
Hardik was an MI product, having made his IPL debut with the franchise in 2015 and winning four titles with them. He was released ahead of 2022 and went to the Gujarat Titans, whom he helped win the IPL on their debut and then a final in 2023. He came back to MI in 2024 and took over the captaincy from Rohit.
Hardik's days at MI have been far more underwhelming than the franchise would have expected. He saw MI finish rock bottom in 10th in the points table on his debut season, when he was constantly booed by MI fans. The five-time champions made it to the playoffs in 2025, when they lost in Qualifier 2 to the Punjab Kings, but have been rocked hard again in 2026 despite a pretty strong team on paper.
MI could win only four matches in their 10 outings and ended up at ninth, only ahead of the Lucknow Super Giants on NRR. This has put Hardik's captaincy in huge threat, with his place in the team also set to be discussed when MI management meets within the next few weeks.
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