Rohit Sharma likely to lead Mumbai Indians again, Tilak Varma could be deputy

Rohit Sharma

MUMBAI: Will Rohit Sharma return as Mumbai Indians captain, with India’s rising T20 batting star Tilak Varma as his deputy, in IPL 2027? TOI has learnt that there is a strong possibility of the 39-year-old getting one final stint at the helm.

Rohit led MI to all five of their IPL titles — in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.A return to the captaincy would mean Rohit cannot feature as an Impact Player, as he has done over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, who replaced Rohit as captain in 2024, is set to be traded to another franchise.MI are in talks with three teams, with an official announcement expected soon, TOI has learnt.MI on Friday announced a major overhaul of their coaching staff under newly appointed head coach Kieron Pollard.

Former India batter Robin Uthappa has been named batting coach, while former India fielding coach T Dilip will take charge of the fielding department.Uthappa represented MI in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, while Dilip spent nearly five years with the Indian team and is believed to share a close rapport with Rohit.

MI have also brought back two former pacers — New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan as bowling coach and Dhawal Kulkarni as development bowling coach.

Kulkarni, a former India and Mumbai teammate of Rohit, will have a year-round role focused on player development and strengthening the franchise’s talent pool.The appointments, with several members of the new support staff having close links with Rohit, have further fuelled speculation about his return to the captaincy as MI look to end their six-year title drought. The franchise last won the IPL in 2020 and finished ninth in 2026. The new coaching group’s immediate task will be to finalise retentions ahead of the mini-auction for IPL 2027, scheduled for Dec 16 in Goa. Pollard and his team will also have to formulate their auction strategy as MI seek to rebuild after a disappointing 2026 campaign.