Former India off-spinner and commentator Ravichandran Ashwin has suggested that veteran opener Rohit Sharma could be a suitable choice to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming IPL 2027 season.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin backed the combination of Rohit and Kieron Pollard, who has recently been appointed MI’s head coach following Mahela Jayawardene’s departure from the role.
“I think Rohit and Pollard can be a good combination. This might happen, I don’t know. I am sure Hardik will not be there. His chances of staying there are very low. Suryakumar is out of the Indian team. I don’t see him captaining MI. It has become a big problem. This team needs to fix a lot of things now. Anyway, there is only one year left for the mega auction. Who has the experience to fix these things in this short time? It is Rohit. So I think it is an obvious choice, at least for this year. He is a frontrunner for me. He has a good bond with Polly also,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’ YouTube channel.
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched five IPL titles between 2013 and 2020. However, the franchise has struggled to maintain that success in recent years, qualifying for the playoffs just twice since the 2020 season. In the three seasons since Hardik Pandya took over as captain, MI have reached the playoffs only once.
On the other hand, Pollard last featured in the IPL in 2023 and was part of all five of Mumbai Indians’ title-winning campaigns in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. He also played a key role in the franchise’s two Champions League T20 triumphs in 2011 and 2013.
