Jasprit Bumrah stepped into the captain’s role in the Indian Premier League on Thursday, steering Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2026 meeting against Punjab Kings. The match marked his leadership debut in the league, with Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav both unavailable for the game. Despite the change at the top, Bumrah guided MI to only their fourth win of the season, a result that offered a rare lift in what has been a difficult campaign for the five-time champions.
The performance and the captaincy shift quickly drew attention beyond the boundary. Former India cricketer and well-known commentator Sanjay Manjrekar backed the idea of Bumrah taking over as a future captain, particularly if Mumbai Indians decide to move away from Hardik Pandya. Speaking on the Sportstar podcast, Manjrekar said he would like to see Bumrah lead more often, arguing that the pacer’s understanding of the game is unusually deep. In his view, Bumrah’s value as a captain goes beyond bowling technique and match-up skills, because his approach reflects anticipation, the ability to read batters, an understanding of shifting match situations, and a feel for what a pitch demands.
Manjrekar also highlighted that Bumrah’s captaincy journey at the international level actually began earlier than his IPL leadership. He has captained India in three Tests, with the results split—one win and two defeats—showing that his leadership credentials have been developing for some time. However, the commentator admitted he was surprised by the apparent lack of emphasis on captaincy from Bumrah in certain settings, and he said that disappointment has been lingering.
He referenced Bumrah’s experience in England, noting that the bowler did not take the captain’s armband when Shubman Gill was appointed captain there. Manjrekar then expressed hope that, at least in the IPL, Mumbai Indians might give Bumrah a real opportunity to lead. He further pointed to Suryakumar Yadav as the franchise’s “natural” leadership option if Hardik is eventually moved on from the captaincy group. Suryakumar currently serves as MI’s vice-captain and also carries the distinction of having captained India to T20 World Cup glory.
Even with that in mind, Manjrekar urged Mumbai to consider Bumrah as a credible alternative. He said the timing could work well because a short-term captaincy chance in the IPL would be far less demanding than the responsibilities attached to being India’s Test captain, where a player must remain continuously prepared and match-ready for every Test. The former India batter also supported the notion that it may not be necessary for the captain to be present in every Test. If the squad is stacked with players who are performing strongly, the team should aim to have the most suitable captain available whenever that person is free—though Manjrekar added that the captain still needs to be someone deserving the role. He closed by reiterating that he hopes MI consider Bumrah for the foreseeable future.
On the field, Mumbai Indians are still searching for stability under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in IPL 2026. The side have endured a season to forget, and their campaign ended with them being knocked out of the playoff race with three matches remaining. It is the second occasion in three seasons that a team led by Hardik has failed to mount a playoff charge—an outcome that has only increased the pressure on the franchise to reassess its leadership direction.
