Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the Mumbai Indians’ captaincy choice for IPL 2026, suggesting Suryakumar Yadav should lead the team following his T20 World Cup triumph. While acknowledging Hardik Pandya’s credentials, Ashwin expressed concern that SKY is being overlooked and highlighted the challenges Hardik faced in his first season.
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the Mumbai Indians over their captaincy, suggesting that Suryakumar Yadav should be leading the side in the upcoming season, given India’s T20 World Cup triumph under his leadership.
Hardik Pandya was appointed as captain of the Mumbai Indians in 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma, following a trade from the Gujarat Titans, where he had previously won a title in his first season and led the team to a runner-up finish in the second. However, Hardik’s first stint as a captain with the Mumbai Indians sparked criticism and backlash, with fans being unhappy with Rohit being sidelined and questioning whether the all-rounder was the right choice to lead a five-time champion side.
The Mumbai Indians had a disappointing campaign in IPL 2024, finishing at the bottom of the points table with just 4 runs in 14 matches. However, under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya, the five-time IPL champions bounced back and reached the playoffs, where they lost to the eventual runners-up Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2.
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‘Bit of a Concern’
Though Hardik Pandya will be leading the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026, Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Suryakumar Yadav deserves the captaincy, given his consistent performances and leadership credentials with the Indian T20I team, especially leading the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup triumph.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin stated that he is concerned about Suryakumar Yadav being overlooked as a captain, but he acknowledges Hardik Pandya’s proven leadership, adding that the first year was overshadowed by Rohit Sharma’s transition.
“Suryakumar Yadav not being the captain of the Mumbai Indians is a no-brainer. Usko captaincy dena hi chahiye (He should definitely be the captain). And the fact that it isn’t happening, I’m sure, is a bit of a concern,” the 39-year-old said.
“We should also look at Hardik’s captaincy credentials. Hardik Pandya, as the Gujarat Titans captain, won a title in his first season, and the team was the runner-up in the second. When he came to Mumbai, the expectation was that he would be the captain and continue that trend. However, his first year was spent just dealing with the Rohit Sharma saga,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav has been representing the Mumbai Indians consistently since 2018 after having his first stint with the franchise for two seasons from 2012-13. However, the 35-year-old has never been the captain of the Mumbai Indians, despite his extensive experience and leadership success with India, leaving Ashwin questioning the franchise’s decision ahead of IPL 2026.
‘Challenging Situation’
The veteran Indian off-spinner, who played 16 IPL seasons, said Hardik Pandya faces a challenging situation, having to lead the team, compared to Suryakumar Yadav loom large. However, R Ashwin believes that with the right support of the management, Hardik can successfully lead the team.
“Now he has to contend with a lot of people telling him that Suryakumar Yadav is the incumbent Indian team captain, yet Hardik is the captain of Mumbai. It’s a very challenging situation; a lot of things could be going through his mind,” Ashwin said.
“But I don’t think Hardik Pandya, the captain, lacks credentials—he does have them. He did a great job with the captaincy for the Gujarat Titans.
“Leaving external issues aside, without any pressure and with the support of the players and management, I still think Hardik can do a fine job. He needs to use this squad that he has in the right way,” he added.
Hardik Pandya has a good captaincy record in IPL, winning 35 matches in 60 outings and has a win percentage of 58.33, giving the Mumbai Indians a solid foundation as they aim to challenge for the IPL 2026 title and end their five-year drought of reclaiming glory with a record-breaking sixth triumph.
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