R Ashwin Tells Mumbai Indians To Change Captain, Delivers Brutal Verdict On Hardik Pandya
Legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stated that Mumbai Indians (MI) should make Suryakumar Yadav the captain of the franchise, ahead of Hardik Pandya. He was India's vice-captain in white-ball cricket when he took over MI's captaincy in 2024 from Rohit Sharma. However, now not only is Pandya no longer in any captaincy role in international cricket, but Suryakumar is also India's current T20I captain and recently led them to the T20 World Cup 2026 title. Ashwin said that it is "concerning" that MI have yet to make Suryakumar their permanent captain."Suryakumar Yadav 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," Ashwin said, speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat'.Ashwin, however, acknowledged Pandya's captaincy credentials and reflected on his struggles as MI captain."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," Ashwin said."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. 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," Ashwin elaborated.Pandya faced immense criticism during his first Indian Premier League (IPL) season as MI captain in 2024, having unprecedentedly taken over the role from Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five IPL titles.Ashwin backed Pandya to do a good job as captain provided the pressure is taken off him."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," Ashwin said.Mumbai Indians kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday, March 29.
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