Online Sports Desk
Mitchell Santner dropped a major hint that Rohit Sharma will return as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain for the 2027 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with Hardik Pandya set to leave the franchise in a trade deal to Punjab Kings after leading them for the last three years. The New Zealand ODI and T20I captain also played for MI since the start of the 2025 season after a long tenure at Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
In a video posted by Cricket New Zealand (NZC) after the third ODI between India and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday (November 10) was washed out, the players were seen meeting and greeting each other. In the clip that has now gone viral on social media, Santner was seen telling Rohit, ‘Hello, Skipper.’ The five-time IPL-winning captain replied by saying, ‘Thanks, Mate.’
Ahead of the 2024 IPL season, MI removed Rohit from the top job after he led the team for a decade and made them the joint-most successful team in IPL history with five title wins. Hardik took charge of the team after he returned to the franchise in a trade deal from the Gujarat Titans (GT). The star all-rounder played and captained the Gujarat-based franchise for two seasons, during which they won the title in 2022 and played the final in 2023.
MI struggled inHardik’s tenure as they finished 10th in 2024 and 9th in 2026. In the 2025 campaign, they managed to reach the playoffs, where they lost to PBKS in the second qualifier.
The Mumbai-based franchise has several leadership options like Black Caps captain Santner, India’s 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav, legendary pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has led both India and MI in the past as well as Tilak Varma, who has captained India-A in several series. However, reports have suggested Rohit will lead the team again in the 2027 season.
