IPL 2027 rumour: NZ star Mitchell Santner all but confirms Rohit Sharma will replace Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians captain

IPL 2027 rumour: NZ star Mitchell Santner all but confirms Rohit Sharma will replace Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians captain originally appeared on Cricket News . Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . KEY TAKEAWAYS: New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner appeared to refer to Rohit Sharma as skipper after the Hamilton washout. Rohit is one of the candidates to replace Hardik Pandya as the Mumbai Indians captain, with the latter set to be traded. Hardik is set to switch to th Punjab Kings (PBKS) with Arshdeep Singh moving to Mumbai.. Mitchell Santner calls Rohit Sharma 'skipper' after Hamilton wash-out The third ODI at Seddon Park was abandoned on Tuesday without a ball bowled. As the two teams exchanged handshakes, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, also a Mumbai Indians player, appeared to refer to Rohit Sharma as "skipper". While the fan post on X claimed it was a confirmation, it has not been officially announced by the franchise. For a player who led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and enjoyed considerable success as India's captain, Santner calling Rohit 'skipper' isn't surprising. It reflects the respect the Indian star commands, even among opposition players, not necessarily because he will play under Rohit's captaincy in IPL 2027/ MORE: IPL 2027 trade tracker: Complete list of all player and cash deals Will Rohit Sharma become captain MI in IPL 2027? The reason the post found an audience is that Mumbai probably does need a captain. Cricbuzz reported on November 3 that Mumbai were at a decisive stage of their trade planning and linked Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings in a direct swap for Arshdeep Singh, with the retention deadline falling on November 15. Rohit's name has been attached to the vacancy that would be created for weeks. NDTV , citing an unnamed source within the franchise, reported there had been no internal discussions about appointing him. Mumbai have publicly denied every trade and captaincy rumour put to them during this window. There is also a candidate that the fan theory skips entirely. Suryakumar Yadav has led India in T20Is and is the senior batter already inside the dressing room, which makes him a plausible option for a franchise that finished ninth in IPL 2026 and needs a direction rather than a restoration. MORE: Axar Patel stays at DC: CSK fans devastated as Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal denies trade rumours Mumbai Indians will name their captain soon; it could very likely be Rohit Sharma Mumbai will name a captain, and the announcement will be made. Until then, the honest position is that Rohit is one of at least two plausible options, that the franchise has denied the story, and that a word Santner has used many times tells us nothing. For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary, and to share your voice, head to our Facebook , Instagram , and X (Twitter) pages.