Jasprit Bumrah made his captaincy debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, as he led Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS), in the absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. Bumrah led MI to only their fourth win of the season. Former India cricketer and reputed commentator Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Mumbai Indians should consider Bumrah as a captaincy option in the near future, particularly if the franchise decides to move on from Hardik Pandya.
“I’d like to see Jasprit Bumrah captain more because I don’t think anyone reads the game as well as he does,” Manjrekar said, speaking on the Sportstar podcast. “What he does with the ball is not just about his action or his skills. It’s also about anticipation, reading batters, understanding situations and assessing pitches,” Manjrekar added.
The suggestion from Manjrekar comes amid speculations that all is not well in the Mumbai Indians dressing room with regards to Hardik Pandya’s captaincy. The skipper has missed three matches for the franchise already and it isn’t certain if he would play again this season.
Interestingly, Bumrah’s IPL captaincy debut came much after his international captaincy debut. Bumrah has led India in three Tests, winning one and losing two.
Manjrekar expressed his disappointment over Bumrah seemingly not being too keen on captaincy.
“I’m a little disappointed that he doesn’t seem too keen on captaincy. In England, he didn’t captain when Shubman Gill was made captain. But hopefully, at least in the Indian Premier League, we should give that a shot,” Manjrekar stated.
Suryakumar Yadav stands as MI’s natural captaincy option if Hardik is moved on from a leadership role. He currently serves as the team’s vice-captain, and is also India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain.
However, Manjrekar urged the franchise to consider Bumrah.
“I was hinting at because I think they might have to look beyond Hardik Pandya.
“”I’d really like to see Bumrah being given a short-term opportunity because that’s not as much of a burden on him as being India’s Test captain, where he has to stay fit and ready for every Test match,” Manjrekar explained.
He also batted for Bumrah as a possible Test captain, even if he may not play all games.
“I think this idea that the captain has to play all five or six Test matches is a little overrated. If your team is full of players performing well, you should try to have the best possible captain leading whenever he is available,” Manjrekar said.
“I know not too many people will agree with it. But it also has to be someone deserving. Bumrah has the qualities and the body of work behind him. I just hope Mumbai Indians consider Bumrah as captain for the foreseeable future,” he concluded.
Mumbai Indians have endured a season to forget under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in IPL 2026, having been eliminated from the playoff race with three games to go. It marks the second time in three seasons that Hardik-led MI have failed to launch a playoff charge.
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