Jasprit Bumrah (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
NEW DELHI: Former India captain, 1983 World Cup winner and former selector Kris Srikkanth praised Jasprit Bumrah for his leadership during Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala. Bumrah’s first outing as Mumbai Indians captain turned into a memorable one as he led the side to an important win in the IPL 2026 season.Sidelined by back spasms, Pandya first missed Mumbai Indians’ home match against Lucknow Super Giants on May 4. He then sat out the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur despite traveling with the team. Suryakumar Yadav led the party in his absence. Pandya also did not travel to Dharamsala for Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Punjab Kings, where Jasprit Bumrah became MI’s third captain this season after Suryakumar missed the match following the birth of his child.Under Bumrah’s leadership, Shardul Thakur took four wickets while Deepak Chahar took two wickets as Punjab Kings posted 200/8. Mumbai Indians then chased down the target in 19.5 overs, powered by Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 75 off just 33 balls.“It’s a good choice. I think bringing Bumrah as captain is a fantastic move,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.He also praised the overall intent and performances of the Mumbai Indians players.“Surya didn’t play in that match either. He didn’t play the match for personal reasons, he didn’t play the match. But whatever it is, the young side suddenly says what you say. They came and Deepak Chahar is bowling well. That fellow Raj Angad Bawa is bowling decently. Everyone is performing brilliantly. Tilak Varma was brilliant. Ryan Rickleton crushed and dominated with aggressive hitting.”“Overall there was the will to win, the will to succeed. Even when they were down in the dumps, they showed the will to succeed. That’s the key in cricket. The energy was there,” Srikkanth said.Srikkanth added that Bumrah’s calm and encouraging presence on the field helped the bowlers display confidence.“And if you look at the bowling as well, even Bumrah was smiling all the time. He gave a lot of confidence to the bowlers. And I thought Bumrah’s captaincy made a huge difference to people like Deepak Chahar. And of course Shardul Thakur, because otherwise they miss free deliveries and runs. They all took wickets today,” Srikkanth said.
