Suryakumar Yadav could be in line for a bigger leadership role at Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2027. While Hardik Pandya remained at the helm during the 2026 season, a former cricketer has now made a strong case for Suryakumar to take over the reins. The argument, however, goes beyond the India batter’s performances and results as captain, with one particular aspect of his leadership standing out.
Former cricketer backs Suryakumar Yadav to lead Mumbai Indians
Former India bowler Sadagoppan Ramesh believes Suryakumar has already shown enough during his leadership stint to deserve a permanent opportunity in the IPL. Ramesh feels Mumbai Indians could benefit from putting their trust in the India batter and allowing him to take charge of the team.
“Surya really shone as a player’s captain. In my opinion, Surya should definitely captain a side in the IPL. MI will be well-served if they make Surya the captain,” Ramesh said on his Instagram handle.
For a franchise that has traditionally placed considerable importance on experienced leadership, Suryakumar’s familiarity with the MI setup could also work in his favour. He has been part of the franchise for several seasons and understands the team’s culture and expectations.
Ramesh highlighted an incident involving Sanju Samson to explain why he rates Suryakumar highly as a captain. During the 2026 T20 World Cup, Samson was dropped from India’s playing XI, but Suryakumar made an effort to communicate with the wicketkeeper-batter. Ramesh believes that interaction revealed an important quality that isn’t always visible when assessing a captain purely through match results. He further pointed out that captains do not always personally communicate with players who have been left out of the XI. In his view, Suryakumar’s willingness to speak to Samson demonstrated his understanding of the human side of leadership.
“Suryakumar Yadav spoke about how Samson’s response to being dropped during the T20 World Cup impressed him. At that moment, Surya shone as a captain and Sanju as a team player,” Ramesh added.
That quality could prove particularly useful in the IPL, where captains have to manage a large group of players and deal with difficult selection calls throughout a long tournament.
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A proven leader in T20 cricket
Suryakumar’s international captaincy record provides another strong argument in his favour. He took over as India’s T20I captain in 2024 and quickly established himself as a leader capable of delivering results in high-pressure situations. India enjoyed considerable success under his leadership, winning the 2025 Asia Cup and the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup. His tenure also included impressive series victories against teams such as South Africa and Australia.
Overall, India won 40 of the 52 T20Is they played under Suryakumar, suffering just eight defeats. The numbers underline the impact he has had since taking over the captaincy.
Although Suryakumar has not been Mumbai Indians’ full-time captain, he has already experienced the responsibility at the franchise level. He has led the five-time IPL champions in five matches between 2023 and 2026. During IPL 2026, however, Pandya continued as captain, with Suryakumar operating as his deputy. Whether that arrangement continues into 2027 remains to be seen.
Also READ: Not Virat Kohli! Suryakumar Yadav picks the best captain he played under
