Jasprit Bumrah (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: Since making his debut for Mumbai Indians In 2013, Star Pacer Jaspreet Bumrah has been an integral part of the franchise. Over the years, he played 157 matches for MI and took 186 wickets. But during the IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday, Bumrah appeared in a different role – the captain.Bumrah was handed the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in the absence of both regular skipper Hardik Pandya and stand-in skipper Surya Kumar Yadav. And the fast bowler delivered in style in his first outing as Mumbai Indians captain, leading the team to a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings.This was not the first time that Bumrah had captained a team. He has previously led India in both Tests and T20s.His leadership experience includes captaining India in two Tests during the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and the rescheduled Birmingham Test against England in 2022.Bumrah has also captained India in two T20Is, with India winning both matches under his leadership.After Mumbai Indians – already out of the IPL 2026 playoff race – secured a win, Bumrah was asked about his experience leading the team during the post-match presentation.“Yes, the first game, like I said, I captained a Test match. I captained a T20I. Now the only game left is ODI cricket. But I don’t see it happening (laughs) but just joking. Really happy. I had good fun, good weather, great ground. So enjoyed my time,” said Bumrah.A scintillating half-century from Tilak Verma And an explosive innings by Ryan Rickelton gave Mumbai Indians a six-wicket win.Bumrah said he was happy with the team’s performance on a surface that was a little drier than expected, where maintaining a consistent length proved crucial.“Yes, one to one (smiles). Both teams played good cricket, and we came back really well. A bit, but the wicket in this game looked a bit drier than the previous one. Maybe it wasn’t as cold as it was in the previous match. From what we saw in the last game and read this game, holding your length is key. That was the plan, and credit to all the bowlers, and they held their nerve too. I think both Tilak’s knock and the way Shardul bowled deserve equal credit. Tilak kept his form, Jacques also contributed,” Bumrah said after the match.Bumrah has endured a tough IPL 2026 campaign with Mumbai Indians so far, picking up just three wickets in 12 matches. He has gone wicketless in eight matches and currently has an economy rate of 8.53.
