Former Indian cricketer and commentator Ravi Ashwin has backed the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise to re-appoint Rohit Sharma as their skipper for the forthcoming IPL 2027 season while retaining Hardik Pandya as a player.
Notably, there have been multiple reports that MI’s think tank is aiming to reinstate Hitman as their captain for the new IPL season. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin backed the idea and advised the franchise to retain Hardik as a player and get the best out of him.
“If I were Mumbai Indians, I would be thinking about who could replace Hardik Pandya if I traded him. Who is a like-for-like replacement? There is no one. If I can keep Hardik happy at the same franchise, somehow or the other. It is not a bad option if MI make Rohit Sharma captain while retaining Hardik Pandya and if they could get the best out of him,” Ashwin said.
Further, Ashwin reckoned that Hardik has been dealing with multiple injuries since the end of the IPL 2026 season and at the end of the day, every player wants to be in a happy space. Notably, Hardik hasn’t played professional cricket since IPL 2026.
“What does Hardik want at this point? He has had so many injuries, and so much has been said about the situation. There has been a lot of talk about it. At the end of the day, a player would want to be happy and play cricket. He would want to be in a happy space. That is a decision Hardik and the franchise have to make together. If Rohit is able to manage that situation, Hardik has a better chance of staying at Mumbai, playing well and delivering good performances. But if Hardik feels that he has given it enough time, has struggled, and things are not working out for him, then there is a greater chance of him moving elsewhere,” he added.
