Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya with teammate Suryakumar Yadav during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, in Jaipur. (PTI photo)
As captaincy talk returns around Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2026, former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has backed Hardik Pandya to continue as captain, urging the franchise to avoid another change at the top.Mumbai Indians have several experienced players in their dressing room, including
Rohit Sharma
and
Suryakumar Yadav
They both captained India in T20 cricket. A few seasons ago, the team replaced Rohit Bhardik as captain, ending a spell that brought five IPL titles.
The decision sparked reactions from sections of fans, especially with Hardik moving on from Gujarat Titans and taking charge immediately.
Despite this, the team reached the playoffs last season.With Suryakumar recently leading India to the T20 World Cup title, there has been discussion about his leadership role, with some suggesting a possible change in the leadership of the Mumbai Indians side.But Kaif said the team should continue with Hardik, pointing to the progress he made under his leadership last season.
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“I don’t think Mumbai Indians should make the same mistake again. They had a bad season after removing Rohit Sharma and bringing in Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya is settling into his role now. They played Qualifiers 2 last year. So, Hardik Pandya has done a good job as captain,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
reconnaissance
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He also warned against frequent changes in leadership based on trends, referring to the previous switch from Rohit to Hardik and the current discussion around Suryakumar.
“Suryakumar Yadav is an option, but it should not happen like the way they handled Rohit Sharma, saying now we have Hardik Pandya, who made Gujarat a champion, so he will be captain now. Hardik was the hot topic at that time, and they pushed him. Now Suryakumar Yadav is the hot topic. Next year, there will be someone else, so will you remove Surya?” He added.Mumbai Indians will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at home on March 29.