Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has shared his views on who should become the next Mumbai Indians (MI) captain for IPL 2027. This comes after reports stated that Hardik Pandya has bid goodbye to the franchise after poor outings in the previous three IPL seasons.
Chopra stated that MI can go to Rohit Sharma for captaincy as a stopgap arrangement for one season before the mega auction in IPL 2028. He reckoned that Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma could be the other two captaincy options for the Mumbai-based franchise.
"It's interesting. For the short term, it is not a bad option. It won't ruffle any feathers. If Hardik Pandya is going, let him go. You have three captaincy options, but the ready-made one is Rohit Sharma. The second is Suryakumar Yadav. The third is Tilak Varma. In my opinion, they have to choose one of the three.
Rohit Sharma will easily take you until the mega auction. One year - no problem. So, you can go with him. However, would Rohit be ready? That's a big question because many times when you take the captaincy away from a senior player, there is a slight reluctance to take the captaincy again. So, I am not so sure," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Hardik Pandya has replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain in IPL 2024 after being traded in from the Gujarat Titans. Rohit Sharma had led MI to five IPL titles, but under Hardik Pandya, MI failed to qualify for the playoffs two times in three seasons.
According to Aakash Chopra, if the Mumbai Indians want a captain for a little while longer, they might consider Suryakumar Yadav. He also stated that Tilak Varma could be an option for a long-term perspective.
"Suryakumar Yadav could be your investment for the next two or three years, where you go until the mega auction, and then he can manage the team until around the next auction after that. You are the T20 World Cup-winning captain. So, they can go toward him.
If they don't want to think either short-term or mid-term and want to think long-term, they can go toward Tilak Varma. None of the three would be a backward step because it's not about teams continuing for 15 years. You made the captain just now and are removing him after three years. It is what it is. It is professional. So, I don't think it's a backward step," Chopra said.
Jasprit Bumrah was also an option for MI when it comes to captaincy, but the pacer's injury and workload-management concerns have put his candidacy in jeopardy.
