Kamal Ghorui
With the Indian Premier League 2026 set to begin on March 28, Ravichandran Ashwin has raised a key concern surrounding Mumbai Indians and their leadership structure. The veteran off-spinner believes Suryakumar Yadav should have been entrusted with the captaincy, particularly after guiding India to their third T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year.The franchise had handed over leadership duties to Hardik Pandya following his high-profile move from Gujarat Titans ahead of the 2024 season. However, Mumbai’s title drought since 2020 has continued, and the leadership shift — which also saw Rohit Sharma replaced — sparked widespread debate.
Hardik’s appointment triggered a strong backlash during IPL 2024, with fans openly expressing their displeasure at multiple venues. Despite that, he managed to turn sentiment in his favour by playing a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup success, ending a long wait for an ICC trophy. In IPL 2025, Mumbai Indians showed improvement by reaching the playoffs, but their journey ended with a defeat in Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings.Ashwin, however, feels the bigger issue lies in overlooking Suryakumar’s recent achievements as a leader. Since taking charge of India’s T20I side in July 2024, the team has remained unbeaten in bilateral series, culminating in the World Cup victory.“Suryakumar Yadav not being the captain of the Mumbai Indians is a no-brainer. Usko captaincy dena hi chahiye (He should definitely be the captain). And the fact that it isn’t happening, I’m sure, is a bit of a concern,” 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. Hardik Pandya, as the Gujarat Titans captain, won a title in his first season, and the team was the runner-up in the second. When he came to Mumbai, the expectation was that he would be the captain and continue that trend. However, his first year was spent just dealing with the Rohit Sharma saga,” he added.Ashwin pointed out that Hardik now faces a tricky scenario heading into IPL 2026, with growing voices backing Suryakumar as the more suitable captain.“Now he has to contend with a lot of people telling him that Suryakumar Yadav is the incumbent Indian team captain, yet Hardik is the captain of Mumbai. It’s a very challenging situation; a lot of things could be going through his mind. But I don’t think Hardik Pandya, the captain, lacks credentials—he does have them. He did a great job with the captaincy for the Gujarat Titans,” said Ashwin.“Leaving external issues aside, without any pressure and with the support of the players and management, I still think Hardik can do a fine job. He needs to use this squad that he has in the right way,” he added.Earlier, former India captain and selector Kris Srikkanth had echoed a similar sentiment, suggesting that Suryakumar should take over the leadership role, with Hardik stepping aside for the national T20I captain.Mumbai Indians will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on March 29 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.
