Mumbai Indians’ tensions have increased even further after the end of IPL 2026. Reports are now coming out that even Suryakumar Yadav wants to leave the team after Hardik Pandya. What exactly happened that caused one of the best-managed teams in IPL history to face such problems?
Mumbai Indians were a team that, just like Chennai Super Kings, were known for only one thing – winning trophies in the IPL. Captain Rohit Sharma achieved this remarkable feat five times.
Should they Retain or Release this player?
All of a sudden, Mumbai Indians decided to make Hardik Pandya the captain. Since then, the team’s situation has worsened significantly. This season, despite having so many big players in the squad, Mumbai Indians managed to win only four matches.
Hardik Pandya’s behavior during this IPL season was not particularly impressive either. Reports of complaints from senior players, along with the fact that he missed four matches in the middle of the tournament despite being the captain, raised serious questions about the team’s management.
Interestingly, Mumbai Indians seemed to perform better in several of the matches that Hardik Pandya missed, which further fueled discussions about the team’s leadership and overall direction during the season.
Today, we will talk about three players who could say goodbye to Mumbai Indians even before the IPL 2027 auction.
1. Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy this season was similar to the way Punjab Kings performed during their first 17 years in the IPL. There was no confidence in the bowlers, the batting order had no fixed positions, and because of the highly experienced squad, Hardik was never able to fully express himself as a captain.
Should they Retain or Release this player?
With the bat, Hardik Pandya scored a total of 206 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 138.25.
Hardik Pandya – IPL 2026 Batting Stats
| Matches | Runs | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 206 | 138.25 |
2. Suryakumar Yadav
If a difficult phase has indeed arrived in Suryakumar Yadav’s career, it seems that he does not want to spend it at Mumbai Indians. Suryakumar Yadav has been replaced by Shreyas Iyer as India’s T20I captain, and it appears that he could even announce his retirement from T20 International cricket.
Suryakumar Yadav scored only 270 runs in 13 matches during IPL 2026.
Suryakumar Yadav – IPL 2026 Batting Stats
| Matches | Runs |
|---|---|
| 13 | 270 |
There are also rumours that Suryakumar Yadav could play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the future. A trade deal is also a possibility.
3. Deepak Chahar
Mumbai Indians might have released Deepak Chahar before the IPL 2027 auction anyway, but there is a possibility that he could return to his former team, Chennai Super Kings.
There is also a possibility that Anshul Kamboj could join Mumbai Indians.
Deepak Chahar’s performance in IPL 2026 was also disappointing, as he managed to take only 8 wickets in 8 matches. Among those wickets were two important dismissals of Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Deepak Chahar – IPL 2026 Bowling Stats
| Matches | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 8 | 8 |
Conclusion
Mumbai Indians are currently going through one of the most difficult periods in their recent history. The captaincy change, poor performances, and rumours surrounding several players have raised serious questions about the franchise’s future.
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Whether Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Deepak Chahar stay with Mumbai Indians or move elsewhere, the IPL 2027 auction could prove to be a major turning point for the franchise.
