Jasprit Bumrah (IPL Photo)
New Delhi: Jaspreet Bumrah Finally led Mumbai Indians Thursday for the first time, and his first reaction was how unexpected the moment was.“I didn’t think I would be a Test captain before I captained Mumbai Indians,” Bumrah said, smiling at the toss ahead of MI’s IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.The fast bowler stepped in as the captain alongside the regular captain Hardik Pandya Unavailable due to back spasm during stand-in captain. Surya Kumar Yadav Missed the game due to personal reasons.Long awaited first captaincyBumrah’s captaincy came after 156 IPL matches for MI, making him the second most experienced player to lead an IPL team for the first time.only Ravindra Jadeja After 200 matches, he waited for a long time to take charge. Bumrah went ahead of Manish Pandey (153), Akshar Patel (148), Kieron Pollard (137) and even teammate Surya Kumar (126).He also became the 10th player in franchise history to captain Mumbai Indians, adding yet another chapter to an already extraordinary turnaround season for the five-time champions.
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
Bumrah’s message despite MI’s tough seasonWith MI struggling near the bottom of the points table with just three wins from 11 matches, Bumrah said the team still wanted to embrace the final stretch rather than end the season.“When cricket gives you good days, you take them,” he said. When it challenges you, it has come to teach you something.He added that the team is determined to enjoy the remaining three matches and “crush a few teams” before the campaign ends.“I like the responsibility. It’s a new challenge. I’ll try to have fun,” Bumrah said.That summed up the occasion. After more than a decade with MI and 156 games in blue, one of the franchise’s greatest bowlers finally got the captain’s armband.
