Jasprit Bumrah, who captained Mumbai Indians for one match, was enough to revive serious talk about the future leadership of the franchise. Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has now openly hinted that MI may have to start looking beyond Hardik Pandya and gradually move towards the ‘Project Bumrah’ phase.
Bumrah led Mumbai Indians during their six-wicket win over Punjab Kings after Hardik Pandya missed the match due to back spasms while vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav was also unavailable due to personal reasons.
Manjrekar admitted on the Sportstar podcast that he wants to see Mumbai Indians captain Bumrah more often because of his tactical understanding of the game.
“I would like to see Jasprit Bumrah skipper more because I don’t think anyone reads the game as well as he does,” Manjrekar said.
“What he does with the ball isn’t just about his action or skill. It’s also about anticipation, reading batters, understanding situations and evaluating pitches.”
Manjrekar also felt that Mumbai Indians may now have to start thinking beyond their current management structure under Hardik Pandya.
“I think they might have to look behind Hardik Pandya,” Manjrekar said.
“I really wish Bumrah would get a short-term opportunity because it’s not as much of a burden on him as being India’s Test captain. I just hope that Mumbai Indians consider Bumrah as a captain for the foreseeable future.”
Bumrah has looked extremely comfortable during his brief stint as captain against Punjab. While he himself remained wicketless, Mumbai’s bowling unit worked with much more control during the middle overs as Shardul Thakur picked up four wickets to open the game.
Tilak Varma finally completed the chase in the final over as massive celebrations broke out in Mumbai, with Rohit Sharma leading the reaction from the dressing room balcony.
Discussion around Bumrah’s leadership has been alive for some time now. He has previously captained India in Test cricket and also led the young Indian T20 team to victory in the 2023 series against Ireland.
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket earlier this year, Bumrah was seen as one of the frontrunners for the Indian captaincy role, before eventually pulling out of contention due to workload management concerns. India later named Shubman Gill as the captain for the England Test series.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM BETWEEN HARDIK PANDYA AND ME?
Hardik Pandya’s second stint with Mumbai Indians never quite settled down.
The all-rounder returned from Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2024 as a long-term project to lead the franchise after Rohit Sharma. But results and overall stability under him remained inconsistent.
Mumbai suffered an early exit in 2024 and although they managed to make it to the playoffs in one of the following seasons, the team struggled to recreate the dominance associated with the franchise during the Rohit era.
The captaincy change itself also created a massive backlash among sections of the MI fans, something that has continued to haunt Hardik ever since.
Fresh speculation about his future has resurfaced after Hardik unfollowed Mumbai Indians on Instagram following their loss to RCB earlier this season. While there are no official indications of any impact, social media discussions surrounding a possible departure are becoming increasingly vocal.
Hardik also missed Mumbai’s last two matches due to back spasms and did not travel to Dharamsala for the Punjab Kings match despite training independently before the match.
COULD BUMRAH BECOME THE NEW MI CAPTAIN?
So far, there is no indication that Mumbai Indians are planning an immediate change of captaincy.
Hardik remains one of the greatest all-rounders in world cricket and continues to be seen as a central figure in the franchise setup.
But Bumrah’s calm leadership against Punjab reminded many again why he is regarded as one of the sharpest cricketing minds in Indian cricket.
Unlike many aggressive captains, Bumrah works with a calmness that reflects his bowling. He adjusts the field constantly, reads bats quickly and rarely appears rushed during pressure situations.
The biggest concern with Bumrah becoming the long-term captain remains workload management. The pacer himself admitted earlier this year that leading India in Tests full-time would make it difficult for him to manage his body across formats.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
15 May 2026 18:45 IST
