Mumbai Indians are among the franchises attracting the most attention ahead of the IPL 2027 retention list announcement.
Reports suggest that Hardik Pandya, who has captained the side over the last two seasons, could part ways with the franchise. If that happens, MI will need to appoint a new captain for the upcoming season.
Tilak Varma and T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav are among the possible options. Rohit Sharma's name has also been linked to the role in some reports. Rohit, who guided Mumbai Indians to multiple IPL titles during his captaincy, stepped down from the role ahead of IPL 2024, making way for Pandya.
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In the midst of this, a video is going viral. Several social media accounts have claimed that the video was shot after the third India vs New Zealand ODI was abandoned due to rain in Hamilton on Tuesday.
In the video, Rohit Sharma can be seen greeting New Zealand's Mitchell Santner by saying, "Hi, Mitchy." Santner then replies, "Hello, Skipper." Rohit is currently neither the India captain nor the MI captain. Santner is a Mumbai Indians player, having joined the franchise when Pandya was the captain. Santner's remark has gained significant traction on social media.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes Mumbai Indians' retention and release plans for the IPL 2027 auction will largely depend on what happens with Hardik Pandya's potential trade.
Reports suggest that Hardik could move to Punjab Kings in exchange for Arshdeep Singh. The all-rounder has not been able to take Mumbai Indians to the IPL final since returning to the franchise in 2024. IANS had earlier reported that the paperwork for the trade was complete, with only formal approval pending.
Speaking to JioStar, Chopra highlighted how the possible deal involving Hardik could influence Mumbai Indians' decisions on which players to retain and release.
"If everything had gone well last season, looking at their team, you feel like, 'Why change anything at all?' They have the balance, they have the experience, and they have the explosiveness. So why change?"
"Maybe they need an Indian spinner or an Indian fast bowler, which they will find. But that's all they needed to do. However, the major talk of the town is the trade of Hardik Pandya. That is where it is going to start for MI in terms of their decision-making on retentions and releases because you don't usually find a player like that. But what if, in his place, you get two?" he told JioStar.
Chopra, meanwhile, believed that MI ought to let go of New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, who had a poor 2026 season with the team. In five games in 2026, Boult averaged 94 and claimed just two wickets.
"Five matches, two wickets, 11.5 runs per over. That tells me that Trent Boult has to be released. Rs 12.5 crore is a lot of money, and in exchange, you can get quite a few players, and many people won't even need to be released."
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"Hardik Pandya will be a trade; it's not going to be a release-or-retention question. So, if, in exchange for him, you cannot find players, then you have to retain Hardik Pandya. There is no doubt about it. But with Trent Boult, I don't think there is any ambiguity; he has to be released," he concluded.
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