Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that it would not be a bad idea for the Mumbai Indians (MI) to reinstate Rohit Sharma as captain while retaining current captain Hardik Pandya as a player ahead of the IPL 2027 auction as well. Since the conclusion of IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya has been in the news because of the speculation about his
potential exit from the team.
Speaking during a discussion on his YouTube channel (Ash Ki Baat), he said: “If I were Mumbai Indians, I would be thinking about who could replace Hardik Pandya if I traded him. Who is a like-for-like replacement? There is no one. If I can keep Hardik happy at the same franchise, somehow or the other. It is not a bad option if MI make Rohit Sharma captain while retaining Hardik Pandya and if they could get the best out of him.”
“What does Hardik want at this point? He has had so many injuries, and so much has been said about the situation. There has been a lot of talk about it. At the end of the day, a player would want to be happy and play cricket. He would want to be in a happy space. That is a decision Hardik and the franchise have to make together. If Rohit is able to manage that situation, Hardik has a better chance of staying at Mumbai, playing well and delivering good performances. But if Hardik feels that he has given it enough time, has struggled, and things are not working out for him, then there is a greater chance of him moving elsewhere,” he shared.
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However, Ravichandran Ashwin also stated that Rohit Sharma has earned the respect of the dressing room and that senior
players Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah would also be comfortable with his potential return as captain as well.
He said: “If Rohit can return as captain, he has the respect of the dressing room. Suryakumar Yadav has played under him, and Bumrah has also played under him. I am not sure if captaincy is that much of an aspiration for Bumrah, if I am not mistaken. Suryakumar Yadav is also out of the Indian T20 setup, so maybe he will be fine with it as well.”
“What’s wrong with that? This is the last year of this IPL auction cycle or IPL window, after which a mega auction will take place. So, they can have Rohit for one year and then make the transition, right? If they need to find a new captain, they can look for one at the auction next year. I don’t think it’s a bad call. I’m not saying they will do it, but if they think along those lines, it wouldn’t be wrong,” he concluded.
