According to former Chennai Super Kings player Subramaniam Badrinath, Hardik Pandya will probably remain with MI in IPL 2027 if Rohit Sharma becomes their new captain once more. Hardik left Gujarat Titans for MI in a deal in cash only before IPL 2024 and became the captain after taking over from Rohit, who had been the captain of the franchise since 2013.
Mumbai Indians won four out of 14 games and were at the bottom position in IPL 2024, were in the qualifier 2 position in IPL 2025, and again ended up in the ninth spot in IPL 2026 with the same number of wins, i.e., four. On the other hand, Rohit helped MI win five trophies and played 87 wins out of his 158 games as an IPL captain.
"I feel Hardik will stay with MI if Rohit is the captain. Rohit might talk to Hardik and convince him to stay for a year and win a title together. If Rohit talks to him, Hardik will accept. Even from Hardik's own point of view, he can think that with the mega auction next year, he could enter the auction. There, he could go for 30 or even 40 crores,” Badrinath stated on his YouTube channel while speaking on rumors of Rohit becoming MI captain once more.
According to Subramaniam Badrinath, Kieron Pollard, who has been appointed as the MI head coach, can also be helpful in retaining Hardik Pandya in the franchise. Pollard was the MI batting coach and has recently replaced Mahela Jayawardene as head coach. He was part of all five MI IPL wins under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
"Hardik and Kieron Pollard have an excellent equation. They adore each other. So, Pollard also could talk to Hardik and try to convince him to stay for one year and promise him an excellent environment in MI. Rohit Sharma's captaincy has a different level of command. So, with that and Pollard being the head coach, Hardik's respect for them could help him stay in MI," said Badrinath.
The IPL governing council has extended the deadline for all ten franchises to announce their final retentions to November 17, with the IPL 2027 auction to be held in Goa on December 16.
