Who Will Lead Mumbai Indians as Hardik Pandya & Suryakumar Yadav Likely to Miss RCB Clash?

After news that Hardik Pandya may miss another match in Indian Premier League 2026, there is now a chance that stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav could also miss the MI vs RCB game in Raipur on May 10. While, as per Cricbuzz, Pandya has back spasms and has not travelled with the team to the next destination, Surya, as per social media chatter, is expected to become a father soon, which will keep him away.

There is no official update from the team about both players yet. But if the news is true, it could create a problem for the already struggling Mumbai team. They are 9th on the points table and have won only 3 matches, after playing 10. That also leaves the space of the skipper vacant. So, who can potentially lead MI? They do have a few options, and it is only fair, we analyse them. Rohit Sharma last led MI in IPL 2023, and since then, the responsibility has been bestowed upon Pandya.

MI Captaincy Uncertain as Pandya, Surya Doubtful

In 163 matches as a skipper, he won 91 of those, and include 5 IPL trophies. His win% was a staggering 55.82. He could be a great option for one match to lead, but then, for MI it could be a step backwards. Moreover, he himself has missed 5 matches due to an injury, and wouldn’t want to take additional captaincy pressure, when he is batting so well. In 5 matches, he has scored 221 runs, at an average of 55.

Jasprit Bumrah has been part of the Mumbai Indians leadership group for a long time. He hasn’t captained the team in the IPL yet, but he does have some leadership experience from international cricket. He becomes the obvious choice to lead; but with him, the only consideration would be, if he wants to lead the side or not.

His form hasn’t been great, with just 3 wickets in 10 matches, but he is still the main choice. If the team wants to prepare a young player for captaincy, it could be Tilak Varma. Apart from that one century, he hasn’t done much this season, but he is still a very talented batter.

He has spent enough time with the franchise as well, and has some stature in the team. So, he could be considered, if the other two don’t want to take up the role, temporarily. In 64 matches he has played for the team, he has scored 1703 runs so far, at an average of 34, and a strike rate of 145.