Hardik Pandya’s tenure as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain has been a disappointment since he took over from Rohit Sharma in IPL 2024. MI failed to make it into the playoffs that year but ended their IPL 2025 in the top four.
Much was expected from MI and Hardik Pandya in IPL 2026, but the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs this season as well and is now only playing for pride. The captaincy of Hardik Pandya has been the target of the most criticism; at last, the conversation in Mumbai has turned to who they might keep or let go.
Michael Vaughan, the former captain of England, made the Mumbai Indians an unexpected offer that might help the Kolkata Knight Riders as well.
Vaughan did not spare a second thought when asked about Hardik in a discussion on Cricbuzz.
"Release," he said when asked about Hardik Pandya. But then, I added an outside-the-box suggestion. "Replace him with Cameron Green," he said.
After two productive seasons at the Gujarat Titans, when he guided the team to consecutive finals—one of which even resulted in a championship victory—Vaughan acknowledged that he never understood the reasoning behind Hardik's decision to return to Mumbai.
"No. I have seen enough. I didn't really see the dynamic of bringing him back. He was doing well with the Gujarat Titans and won a title there with a different set of players and a different coach. I feel Mumbai has got too many chefs in the kitchen," he added.
Former KKR Team Director Joy Bhattacharjya agreed with Vaughan, saying Mumbai got to release him after the captaincy experiment failed to work.
"Release him. He has had three seasons with him, and clearly the experiment hasn't worked. It doesn't make sense. It will be difficult for him to play just as a player. It will be better for both Mumbai and Hardik," he said.
Vaughan also explained his reasoning for suggesting the Green-Hardik swap.
"If he wants to carry on as captain, then he'd better be with a fresh set of captains. Maybe KKR, Kolkata, will be looking for a new captain. That is why the Green-Hardik swap," he said.
KKR will look for a new captain for next season, as Ajinkya Rahane struggled this season as both a skipper and a batsman.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
