'Suryakumar Yadav is an option, but...': Mumbai Indians warned against repeating ‘Rohit Sharma’ captaincy mistake

Hardik Pandya is once again leading the Mumbai Indians as they aim to bounce back and compete strongly in the IPL 2026 season. The Mumbai-based franchise is one of the most successful teams in IPL history, but things haven’t gone smoothly for them since their last title win in 2020. The team has struggled to find consistency, and leadership changes have only added to the challenges.

Mohammad Kaif's advice to Mumbai Indians

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes the franchise should be patient with Pandya this time. He said that if things don’t go well, MI should either continue backing him or make any leadership change respectfully, unlike what happened earlier with Rohit Sharma.

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“I don’t think that Mumbai Indians should make the same mistake again. They had a poor season after removing Rohit Sharma and bringing Hardik Pandya in. Hardik Pandya is settling in his role now. They played Qualifier 2 last year. So, Hardik Pandya did a good job as captain,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

Pandya is currently leading a strong side that includes players like Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma, both of whom have captained India to T20 World Cup wins in recent years. Suryakumar also continues to lead India in T20Is.

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When Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians and was immediately made captain, the decision didn’t go down well with many fans. Rohit had been a successful captain for the franchise, and the sudden change upset supporters. During the 2024 IPL season, Pandya even faced boos from fans, especially at the Wankhede Stadium. That year, MI finished at the bottom of the table.

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However, things started to improve later. Pandya played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win, which helped change public perception. In the following IPL season, fans were more supportive, and MI managed to reach Qualifier 2.

Kaif now feels that the Mumbai Indians should avoid frequent captaincy changes and focus on stability moving forward.

“Suryakumar Yadav is an option, but it should not happen like how they treated Rohit Sharma, saying now we have Hardik Pandya, who made Gujarat champions, so he will captain now. Hardik was the hot topic then, and they pushed him. Now Suryakumar Yadav is the hot topic. Next year, there will be someone else, so will you remove Surya?” said Kaif.

Mumbai Indians will start their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.