MI reset on cards as head coach Mahela out; Hardik the captain's turn next?

A title-drought since 2020 — not to speak of a confidence crisis in captain Hardik Pandya despite him being in charge for three seasons now — has sparked off a re-set in the Mumbai Indians camp. The five-time champions parted ways with Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene, the head coach who was the key backroom man for three IPL titles, on Saturday while there is a learned guess that Rohit Sharma may make a return as captain.

The news of Mahela’s departure, albeit anticipated as the ownerships are often known to be ruthless with their restructuring strategy, created quite a ripple in IPL fraternity.

While the IPL auction is still sometime away in December, two of the most successful franchises in the league’s history have meant business as Chennai Super Kings have finally bid adieu to Stephen Fleming after 17 seasons.    

“Mumbai Indians has been a very special part of my journey for over a decade now. The players, coaching team, the incredible support of the #OneFamily and above all the fans have made this an experience I will always treasure,” former Sri Lankan captain Mahela said in a statement.

Speaking on their social media handle, MI owner Nita Ambani has acknowledged the ‘significant contribution’ of Mahela, who gelled extremely well with the ‘Hitman’ to win three titles in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

“Mahela has made a significant contribution to Mumbai Indians over the years. His calm leadership, integrity and deep love for the game have meant so much to us. On behalf of the entire MI family, I want to thank Mahela for his immense contribution and unwavering commitment over the years,” Ambani said.

However, the MI management took one of their most counterproductive step ahead of 2024 season when they removed Rohit – their most successful captain with all five titles won so far under his belt – with Hardik as the new leader by wooing him in a controversial trade-off  from Gujarat Titans. The powers that-be in the franchise justified the move as one with an eye towards the future, but Hardik the captain could never match with the exploits of Hardik the allrounder despite a long rope.

 It’s not exactly a well-kept secret that the Paltan Army had been a divided house since 2024 with none of the senior Indian core (read: Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and even Tilak Varma) were happy to report to Hardik. The MI management now has quite a job on their hands – starting from setting up a right coaching superstructure which Mahela used to run effortlessly (Mark Boucher failed miserably in his mission in 2024 and the Lankan was brought back again in 2025) to finding the right incumbent for captaincy.

While there are unconfirmed media reports that Rohit could be requested to take charge once again, it remains to be seen whether the former India and MI captain, now 39, would be ready to roll up his sleeves again to take charge of arguably the most demanding of IPL franchises. The other option at hand is, of course, Suryakumar Yadav – a World Cup winning captain who would have few more years left in the game than Rohit at 35 years.  

 Rohit, incidentally, holds the record of winning maximum number of IPL titles at six - five with MI as captain in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 and one as player with the now defunct Deccan Chargers in 2009. His record remains unmatched in the franchise’s history, making him an obvious reference point as Mumbai assess their leadership options.