Rohit Sharma captained MI to 5 IPL title wins. Photo: AP Mumbai Indians (MI) are likely to have a new captain in IPL 2027 as Hardik Pandya is likely to be traded or released by the franchise before the mini-auction. Pandya-led MI haven't played an IPL final yet and the five-time IPL Champions could release him once again. As the fans wait for official word from the franchise, R Ashwin has suggested MI to appoint Rohit Sharma as their new captain. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that it will be "good" for MI if Rohit takes over captaincy. "It's astounding MI didn't qualify last season with the squad they have. MI should announce Rohit Sharma as the captain. Because he's the one who can be central and like a big brother who protects a family. So it'll be good for MI if he becomes captain," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Rohit captained MI to five IPL title wins before being sacked. He replaced Ricky Ponting as captain in the middle of IPL 2013. Rohit-led MI ended their title drought and won the IPL 2013 trophy. They also won the Champions League title in October that year. Rohit Sharma captained MI to five IPL title wins. Photo: BCCI Rohit captained MI to IPL title wins in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. His IPL success forced the national selectors to take note of him and he became the vice-captain in 2017. He replaced Virat Kohli as India's white-ball captain in 2021. Rohit captained India to title wins in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Men in Blue played the 2023 ODI World Cup final under his captaincy. Hardik Pandya returned to MI as captain before IPL 2024. MI had released him before the IPL 2022 mega-auction. Gujarat Titans (GT) picked him before the mega-auction and appointed him as their captain. He captained GT to a title win in their debut season in 2022. They finished as the runners-up of IPL 2023. Rishav Narang is an experienced writer with nine years of experience in sports journalism. He extensively writes on cricket and covers live matches, b... View More