Last Updated on 5 hours ago by Charbel Coorey

Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians are set to undergo a lot of changes. According to The Indian Express, the MI management is considering a big rebuild for the franchise after a number of underwhelming seasons.

The biggest change is their current captain and all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, is set to lose his captaincy. Mumbai finished ninth in IPL 2026 with just four wins in 14 matches. They lacked team spirit and synergy, and it was quite evident from outside as well, which has arguably been the case since Hardik took over as captain from Rohit Sharma for the 2024 season.

Hardik Pandya set to end Mumbai Indians captaincy stint, other players need to be more “coachable”

Perhaps more worryingly, the aforementioned publication reported that many senior players have been told to be ‘coachable’, as a number of them didn’t agree or listen to tactics suggested by the coaching staff. 

As per The Indian Express, an MI source said, “There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn’t keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp.

“The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable. There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something which was backed by data but players didn’t follow it.” 

Another source said that there will be proper introspection about the state of the franchise. “There will be serious introspection and discussion in the coming days. Every option would be weighed. Many questions need to be addressed. Going ahead, can Hardik be the captain? Does he stay in the team just as a player?” said the source.

Also, the report stated that the team management believes that they’ve failed to move with the times, as they were unable to capitalise on the powerplay like the successful teams in IPL 2026.

“We haven’t been able to use the powerplay like some of the more successful teams this IPL. We haven’t moved with the times,” said another source.

Another report, from the Press Trust of India, says Pandya is “mentally stressed” and is “done with Mumbai Indians.” If it indeed is the end, it will be a sad finish for a player who enjoyed fabulous moments with the franchise before his move to the Gujarat Titans.

Rumours of Hardik Pandya being traded to CSK 

Amid the news, there’s also a rumour that Hardik Pandya is leaving MI and will join CSK. The speculation increased even further after Hardik posted a story on social media where his phone was showing the time “7:07,” and fans have connected that to MS Dhoni and CSK. Here’s the post: 

Ravichandran Ashwin also posted something related to this which has further escalated the speculations. Here’s his post:

The talk online is that Hardik will join CSK with Shivam Dube and Ayush Mhatre traded to MI. All these are rumours at the moment, and things will clear out in due time, especially ahead of the upcoming auction later this year.