Hardik Pandya set to lose Mumbai Indians captaincy? Inside story of MI's IPL 2026 nightmare revealed

The breaking news has arrived that Hardik Pandya is set to lose his captaincy of the Mumbai Indians after the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where they finished the league stage at the ninth position of the points table with only four victories in 14 clashes, as their title drought extended to six years. 

The Indian Express has reported that at least three persons from the Mumbai camp have revealed the news of the Indian all-rounder losing the captaincy. And the clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium on May 24 could turn out to be his last encounter for the five-time champions.

Franchise meetings held & captaincy decision could come before IPL 2027 auction

As their batting coach, Kieron Pollard, revealed after the RR game, the Mumbai Indians are expected to go through a hard review of the season, which was a shocking performance despite turning up with one of the most balanced sides of all the ten franchises in the IPL 2026 campaign.

“There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn’t keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp. The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable.” The Indian Express has reported.

“There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something that was backed by data, but players didn’t follow it.” It has been addressed.

Hardik, who missed a few games of the season with injury and also unfollowed the franchise on Instagram earlier, went through a poor season with the bat, having scored 206 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of just 138.25. He had a nightmarish economy rate of 11.42 for his four wickets in nine innings of the edition.

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“There will be serious introspection and discussion in the coming days. Every option would be weighed. Many questions need to be addressed. Going ahead, can Hardik be the captain? Does he stay on the team just as a player?” The report claimed.

“We haven’t been able to use the Powerplay like some of the more successful teams this IPL. We haven’t moved with the times.” It was added in the same report.

Who could replace Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians captain in IPL 2027?

MI’s best batter of the IPL 2026, Ryan Ricketon, who smashed 448 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 186.66, found himself in 18th position among all the sides. Their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, couldn’t deliver with the ball for the very first time in the league’s history, and that went against the franchise.

It will be interesting to see whether the franchise goes back to their most successful captain, India's Rohit Sharma, to accept the leadership for IPL 2027. However, the final decision will be up to the Nagpur-born.

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They may also decide to go with the T20 World Cup-winning captain, Suryakumar Yadav, or hand over the leadership to Bumrah, who has shown her desire to get the band on his shoulder. Meanwhile, they can also keep an eye on Tilak Varma for the leadership.

But whatever happens, a reset will eventually take place for the Mumbai Indians as they aim to claim their sixth title after a gap of six seasons.