Mumbai Indians players (Image credit: IPL)
New Delhi: Mumbai Indians Jasprit Bumrah made a unique piece of IPL history when he stepped out as captain to toss against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday.With regular captain Hardik Pandya unavailable due to a back injury and stand-in skipper Surya Kumar Yadav unavailable due to personal reasons, Bumrah led MI for the first time in his IPL career – and in doing so, made the franchise the first team in the history of the tournament to be captained by three Indians in the same season. MI joined the list of rare captaincy – but historyOnly five teams have had three captains in an IPL season, but Mumbai’s 2026 campaign is different. Previous examples included Harbhajan Singh, Shaun Pollock and Sachin Tendulkar in 2008, as well as teams like Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.But this is the first time that all three captains of a team in an IPL season are Indians – Hardik, Surya Kumar and Bumrah.The statistics reflect the unusual turmoil in Mumbai’s campaign, where injuries and absences have forced several leadership changes despite the core squad remaining largely intact.
Teams led by three captains in the IPL season
- MI in 2008 (Harbhajan Singh, Shaun Pollock, Sachin Tendulkar)
- PWI in 2013 (Angelo Mathews, Ross Taylor, Aaron Finch)
- SRH in 2021 (David Warner, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey)
- PBKS in 2024 (Shikhar Dhawan, Sam Karan, Jitesh Sharma)
- MI in 2026 (Hardik Pandya, Surya Kumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah)
Bumrah’s long wait is overBumrah’s captaincy also came after a long wait. The fast bowler played 156 IPL matches before leading a team for the first time, making him the second most experienced player to debut as captain in the league.Only Ravindra Jadeja waited longer, taking charge after 200 IPL appearances. Bumrah is now ahead of names like Manish Pandey, Axar Patel and Kieron Pollard in the list.On the toss, Bumrah joked: “I didn’t think I would be a Test captain before I became MI captain.”The line summed up the moment. In a season that has seen little done for MI, Bumrah’s debut adds an unlikely chapter to IPL history – even as the five-time champions battle to salvage pride from a difficult campaign.
Most matches in IPL before leading a team
- 200 – Ravindra Jadeja
- 156 – Jaspreet Bumrah
- 153 – Manish Pandey
- 148 – Akshar Patel
- 137 – Kieron Pollard
- 126 – Surya Kumar Yadav
