Not many teams have had success like Mumbai Indians (MI) in franchise cricket. After all, they have five IPL trophies, two Champions League titles, and many more victories.
And this can only be achieved on the back of solid leadership, which the franchise was fortunately blessed with. From the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to Hitman Rohit Sharma, the team has had some remarkable leaders in its history.
Here, we’ll list down all the captains who have led Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
Before the inaugural IPL season started, MI secured the services of the beloved local guy, Sachin Tendulkar. He emerged as the face of the franchise to draw crowds to the Wankhede Stadium.
Tendulkar also led the team across four seasons from 2008 to 2011. While MI missed out on the knockouts by a whisker in 2008 and had a poor season in 2009, he guided them in consecutive playoffs in the next two editions.
MI flourished under Tendulkar’s leadership across the period, while he also led them from the front. The Mumbai batter was, in fact, the Orange Cap holder in 2010.
In all, Tendulkar captained MI in 51 matches, with 30 wins, to have a win percentage of 58.82.
2. Harbhajan Singh
While MI had appointed Tendulkar as their captain ahead of the 2008 season, he wasn’t available due to fitness reasons for half the season. Thus, Harbhajan Singh strode out to lead MI in their first-ever IPL game on April 20, 2008.
The former Indian off-spinner didn’t have a dream start as a captain with three consecutive losses. He would’ve led in a few more games that season, but a ‘slapgate’ incident saw him attract a ban for the rest of the season.
Nevertheless, four seasons later, Harbhajan replaced Tendulkar as MI’s full captain. This time around, he led them with finesse in IPL 2012.
Mumbai reached the playoffs three times in a row, although the team faltered in the Eliminator. Despite that, MI didn’t retain Harbhajan as captain for the 2013 edition.
Harbhajan had a 50-50 record as MI skipper with 10 wins and 10 losses out of 20 games.
3. Shaun Pollock
In between Harbhajan and Tendulkar, South African Shaun Pollock had a chance to lead the team in the IPL. Although it was a short stint, the all-rounder brought MI back on track in the first season.
Pollock created an immense impact in the four matches he led the franchise in. MI won three of the four games played under him.
4. Dwayne Bravo
While this may come as a surprise, Dwayne Bravo captained MI back in 2010. But this was a one-off captaincy incident for him.
The Caribbean all-rounder stepped up in the absence of Tendulkar in a league-stage game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). This was the only game Bravo captained in the league, though it ended in a loss for him as well as MI.
5. Ricky Ponting
Everyone is perhaps aware of Ricky Ponting’s grand captaincy record in international cricket – over 200 wins, two World Cup titles, and as many Champions Trophy triumphs, all while leading Australia. But he couldn’t quite replicate the same success in the IPL.
MI bought Ponting ahead of the 2013 season and handed him the captaincy job. After six games into the season, the former Australian skipper stepped down.
The team had a mixed run under Ponting, with three wins and as many losses, though the captaincy charge kind of affected his personal performance.
6. Rohit Sharma
Ponting’s mid-season resignation paved the way for MI to enjoy a golden run in the IPL. Ponting handed over the captaincy duties to Rohit Sharma, which turned out to be a masterstroke.
Many wouldn’t have given MI a chance to win IPL 2013 after the captaincy change. But Sharma handled the transition with grace.
His calm and calculated leadership handed Mumbai their first IPL title in the same season. MI then went on to add five more trophies under his leadership, including the 2013 Champions League T20.
In a decade-long captaincy stint, Sharma emerged as one of the most successful skippers in the league. He guided MI to 89 victories out of the 158 matches to have a win percentage of 56.32.
7. Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard’s contribution to MI’s success can’t be overstated. He was their irreplaceable member, with many clutch performances over the years.
Pollard also had a brush with captaincy in the IPL. He donned the captaincy hat in the absence of Sharma in six matches between 2019 and 2021. And his short stint played a crucial role in MI winning trophies in 2019 and 2020.
Pollard’s bold captaincy saw MI cross the winning line in four of the six games.
8. Suryakumar Yadav
While Suryakumar Yadav succeeded Sharma as India’s T20I captain, he missed out on the opportunity in the IPL. Nonetheless, the aggressive batter has captained MI twice thus far.
The first time he did was in Sharma’s absence in 2023, while the second time he stood in for Hardik Pandya in 2025.
Suryakumar would perhaps like a long run as a skipper; he has shown his captaincy ability in the short tenure.
9. Hardik Pandya
In a major shakeup, MI removed Sharma from captaincy in 2024 and instead handed the charge to Hardik Pandya. The Indian all-rounder was with the franchise from 2015 to 2021 before heading to Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022. But Pandya returned to MI as a title-winning skipper and straightaway got the captaincy duty.
The decision, though, didn’t go down well, as MI had one of their worst IPL seasons. Mumbai finished last with four victories.
But the franchise seems to have embraced Pandya’s leadership, as they have bounced back like a true champion in 2025.
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