Michael Vaughan has sparked fresh debate around Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya after suggesting the franchise should part ways with him and bring back Cameron Green ahead of IPL 2027. The former England captain made the bold remark following Mumbai Indians’ disappointing defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, a result that further summed up MI’s underwhelming IPL 2026 campaign.

The five-time champions once again struggled under pressure, with questions continuing to grow around Hardik’s leadership and overall impact as an all-rounder. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Vaughan suggested that the Mumbai Indians should move on from Hardik’s captaincy experiment and instead look toward rebuilding the side around Cameron Green, who previously impressed during his stint with MI in IPL 2023.

“Release him. Replace him with Cameron Green. If Hardik wants to continue as captain, maybe a fresh franchise like KKR could work for him. Kolkata may also need a new captain in the future, which is why the Green-Hardik swap makes sense,” Michael Vaughan said.

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Green enjoyed an outstanding season with the Mumbai Indians in 2023, scoring 452 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of over 160. The Australian all-rounder also smashed a memorable unbeaten century against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium and contributed with the ball by picking up six wickets.

However, MI were forced to release Green when they traded Hardik Pandya back to the Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2024. Green later spent a season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru before being bought by KKR for INR 25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Hardik’s return to the Mumbai Indians has not delivered the expected results so far. Under his captaincy, MI finished bottom of the table in IPL 2024 and is once again set for another disappointing finish in 2026. Their only playoff appearance during his tenure came in IPL 2025, when the franchise reached Qualifier 2 before losing to Punjab Kings.

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With MI struggling to rediscover their dominant identity, Vaughan’s comments are likely to intensify discussions around the franchise’s future leadership plans and whether Cameron Green could once again become part of Mumbai’s long-term vision.