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Rohit Sharma Mumbai Indians captain again in IPL 2027? Report vs MI denial
India Today reports Mumbai Indians are leaning towards making Rohit Sharma captain again for IPL 2027. NDTV, citing franchise sources, says there is no truth to it and captaincy talks haven't even started. Here is what is confirmed and what is not.
TL;DRThe short version
- Not confirmed: Mumbai Indians have not announced a captain for IPL 2027. Hardik Pandya is still MI's captain.
- The report: India Today (13 Oct, 7:20 PM IST) says MI's top management is leaning towards bringing back Rohit Sharma, who won all five of MI's IPL titles. Outlook India carried the same line later that evening.
- The denial: NDTV, citing MI franchise sources, says there is no truth to the Rohit talk, that no internal captaincy discussions have happened yet, and that MI is still open to proposals for a Hardik Pandya trade.
- Wait for the official word on Mumbai Indians' own site and channels: mumbaiindians.comAny captaincy change or Hardik trade has to be announced by the franchise. Until then, treat both versions as sourced reports.
Key facts
- Official MI captain now
- Hardik Pandya (no change announced)
- Report
- India Today: MI leaning towards Rohit as IPL 2027 captain (13 Oct, 7:20 PM IST)
- Denial
- NDTV, citing MI sources: no truth, no captaincy talks yet
- Hardik trade
- MI exploring it and open to proposals; no suitable deal found yet (NDTV)
- Other names in the frame
- Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma; Mitchell Santner also in contention (NDTV)
- Rohit's MI titles
- 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
- MI under Hardik
- Bottom in 2024, Qualifier 2 in 2025, ninth in 2026 (NDTV)
- Rohit's age
- Turns 40 during the IPL 2027 season (India Today)
Short answer: Not yet, and maybe not at all. On 13 October 2026, India Today reported that Mumbai Indians are leaning towards making Rohit Sharma captain again for IPL 2027. Within hours, NDTV quoted MI franchise sources saying there is no truth to that and that captaincy discussions haven't started. MI itself has announced nothing, so Hardik Pandya remains the captain.
What the India Today report says
India Today says it "has learnt" that MI's top management is leaning towards handing the captaincy back to Rohit, the franchise's most successful leader. Its reasoning:
- All five of MI's IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) came under Rohit.
- MI replaced Rohit with Hardik before IPL 2024, after Hardik returned from Gujarat Titans. MI have not won the IPL since 2020.
- Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma had been seen as captaincy options, but the report says Rohit has now emerged as the leading candidate.
Outlook India ran the same line at 8:53 PM IST, citing the report. Neither outlet quotes anyone from MI on the record.
What MI's sources told NDTV
NDTV's exclusive, citing franchise sources, says:
- There is no truth to the speculation about Rohit becoming captain.
- No internal discussions about next season's captain have taken place yet.
- MI is exploring a Hardik Pandya trade and is open to proposals, but hasn't found a suitable deal.
- If Hardik leaves, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are the front-runners, and New Zealand's white-ball captain Mitchell Santner is also in contention.
So the two versions agree on one thing: Hardik's future at MI is open. Where they differ is whether Rohit is in line to lead again.
Why searches for "rohit sharma mumbai indians" spiked
The India Today report landed on Tuesday evening, and the denial followed the same night. In Google Trends, "rohit sharma mumbai indians" became the top rising query related to Mumbai Indians in the last four hours, along with "mumbai indians captain 2027" and "rohit sharma mi captain". Mumbai Indians and IPL 2027 were trending on X in India at the same time.
The captaincy picture at a glance
| Name | What's reported | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | Current captain; MI exploring a trade, open to proposals (NDTV). KKR and Rajasthan Royals linked (India Today) | Captain, no trade confirmed |
| Rohit Sharma | MI leaning towards him (India Today); "no truth" (NDTV's MI sources) | Disputed |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Led MI when Hardik was unavailable last season; a front-runner if Hardik leaves (NDTV) | Option |
| Tilak Varma | India T20I vice-captain under Shreyas Iyer; a front-runner (NDTV) | Option |
| Mitchell Santner | "Also in contention" (NDTV) | Option |
Hardik's MI record and the Rohit age question
Hardik rejoined MI from Gujarat Titans, whom he had led to the 2022 title. Under him MI finished bottom in 2024, reached Qualifier 2 in 2025 and ended IPL 2026 in ninth place (NDTV).
India Today notes Rohit will turn 40 during the IPL 2027 season, with the ODI World Cup later that year. So even if MI goes back to him, the franchise would still need a longer-term leadership plan. Reports float Yashasvi Jaiswal as a possible target if MI and Rajasthan agree a Hardik deal, but both India Today and Outlook say that is a scenario, not a confirmed development.
01
Myth Rohit Sharma has been named Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2027.
Fact No. MI has made no announcement. India Today reports MI is leaning that way; NDTV's franchise sources say there is no truth to it. Hardik Pandya is still the captain.
02
Myth Hardik Pandya has already been traded.
Fact No trade has been confirmed. NDTV's sources say MI is exploring a Hardik trade and is open to proposals, but has not found a suitable deal yet.
03
Myth Yashasvi Jaiswal is joining Mumbai Indians.
Fact Only a scenario. India Today and Outlook float Jaiswal as a name that could make sense if MI and Rajasthan Royals agree a Hardik deal, and both say it is not a confirmed development.
What to watch next
Only an official Mumbai Indians statement settles this. Watch for two things: a confirmed Hardik Pandya trade, which would force a captaincy call, and any MI announcement on the IPL 2027 captain. We'll update this page when either is official.
Trend Monitor
On 13 October evening, pytrends related queries for 'mumbai indians' (geo=IN, now 4-H, ~9:25 PM IST) showed 'rohit sharma mumbai indians' as the top rising query at +2,962,600%, with 'mumbai indians captain' at +2,250% and 'mumbai indians captain 2027' at +700%. Related queries for 'rohit sharma' showed 'rohit sharma latest news' (+21,050%) and 'rohit sharma mi captain' (+1,850%). Mumbai Indians and IPL 2027 were also on X's India trends. The India Today report and the denial reported by NDTV drove the spike.
- rohit sharma mumbai indians+2,962,600% (pytrends related to mumbai indians, now 4-H, geo=IN, ~9:25 PM IST 13 Oct)
- mumbai indians captain+2,250% (same related set)
- rohit sharma mi captain+1,850% (pytrends related to rohit sharma, now 4-H, geo=IN)
Google Trends, India, rising queries, 30 days