Former India batter Wasim Jaffer believes Suryakumar Yadav should be the obvious choice to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2027. He said that the franchise might not consider Rohit Sharma for the role, given that he may not have many years
left in his playing career. Since IPL 2026 concluded, MI’s current captain, Hardik Pandya, has been linked with a possible move away from the franchise as well.

Speaking on his YouTube channel (Wasim Jaffer Official), Jaffer said: “He is a proven player and a proven performer. He has been associated with MI for many years. So, there would be nothing wrong with looking at him as an option. I also feel it would be a huge motivation for him as this IPL will be very important for him. He has reached this stage in his career, and he would be even more motivated. Perhaps the responsibility of captaincy could work well for him. So, in my opinion, it is an obvious choice to go with Surya because he is a World Cup-winning captain. I think it would be a valid decision. I’m sure Rohit Sharma won’t be among their considerations because he isn’t going to be their long-term future, as he won’t be playing for many more years.”

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“I don’t think Hardik will continue as captain. That’s my feeling because we now have a fairly large sample size, with him having led the team for three seasons. He hasn’t been successful, although the franchise has been successful in the past. Knowing Mumbai Indians, I think they might go in a different direction. It will be interesting to see whom they choose because there are several options within the group,” he again shared.

On October 24, MI appointed Kieron Pollard as head coach following Mahela Jayawardene’s departure. Reacting to this, Wasim Jaffer said that the move was expected, considering the former West Indies captain understands the franchise well and has won several trophies with them as well.

He said: “So, to some extent, this move was expected. I think it is a good transition because Pollard was already part of the support staff under Jayawardene, and he understands this group well. He knows how Mumbai Indians want to play their cricket and how they should approach the game. He has won several trophies with Mumbai Indians, so I think appointing Kieron Pollard as head coach is a good decision.”