That was the confidence of the Mumbai Indians management when they traded Hardik Pandya to Gujarat Titans. Clearly the MI management was considering Hardik as their long-term captain. But all those plans have remained in vain because Hardik has continuously failed as a captain. Mumbai was deprived of the title in 2024 and 2025. Now the team is in bad condition in IPL 2026 also. After 3 consecutive bad seasons, a new captain can definitely be found. If MI removes Hardik from the captaincy, then know which 3 players can replace him.

Tilak Verma

If Hardik Pandya is removed, then the option of giving back the captaincy to Rohit Sharma will definitely remain open. But keeping the long-term plan in mind, MI management had handed over the captaincy to Hardik. In such a situation, the team would definitely like to appoint a young captain. 23-year-old Tilak has been with Mumbai Indians for the last five years and knows the environment of the team very well. Have also gained a lot of experience. Therefore, handing over the captaincy to Tilak for a long time can definitely be considered.

Jasprit Bumrah

It is not wrong to say that the Indian Premier League played a big role in giving Jasprit Bumrah recognition in world cricket. He has been playing for Mumbai Indians for 14 years, the world has also seen a glimpse of his captaincy. He captained Team India in the 2024-25 BGT, India won that match played in Perth by 295 runs. He has never captained MI, but Bumrah has shown that he knows how to run the game well and can also prove to be an excellent leader.

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has never been the regular captain of Mumbai Indians, but he got the opportunity to captain in 3 matches. Suryakumar’s form may not be very good, but Surya’s record as captain has been excellent. In the same year, under his captaincy, the Indian team won the T20 World Cup title. Suryakumar is 35 years old, so he will not fit into Mumbai’s long-term plans. In such a situation, it is possible that he should be given the captaincy for some time, so that he can teach leadership skills to Tilak Verma or any other youth.

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