New Delhi: Mumbai Indians have endured another disappointing IPL season, and a debate has already started ahead of IPL 2027 – who should lead the five-time champions next season?And if the fans are to be believed, is the clear favourite.Oh TimesofIndia.com A survey conducted after Mumbai Indians’ disastrous IPL 2026 campaign has revealed overwhelming support for the long-serving pace spearhead. Jaspreet Bumrah Take over the captaincy from Hardik Pandya. Over 44 percent of fans voted for Bumrah to become the next captain of Mumbai Indians, making him the clear front-runner in the leadership race. The poll followed another underwhelming season for MI, with just four wins from 14 matches and a crash out at the league stage.For a franchise known for setting standards in the IPL over the years, the 2026 season turned into another forgettable chapter. Mumbai Indians looked completely out of sync in all departments, suffering 10 defeats and falling far short of the play-off spots.As a result, the scrutiny surrounding Hardik Pandya’s leadership has only intensified.Bumrah has emerged as a clear fan favourite.Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024 after two highly successful seasons with Gujarat Titans, where he led the franchise to a title in 2022 and another final in 2023. His return to MI was seen as the beginning of a new era after Rohit Sharma’s successful tenure.However, the transfer did not produce the expected results.Mumbai Indians are at the bottom of the table with just four wins in IPL 2024. Although there was some improvement in 2025, when MI reached the playoffs and defeated Gujarat Titans in the eliminator before losing to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2, the title drought continued.The pressure was on in IPL 2026, with many expecting Mumbai Indians to finally regain their dominance. Instead, the campaign turned into another disappointment.Nothing seemed to go smoothly for the five-time champions. The batting lacked consistency, the bowling struggled for rhythm and Pandya himself missed a few matches during the season. By the end of the campaign, Mumbai Indians were once again left searching for answers after yet another early exit.Amid growing uncertainty over the leadership, Bumrah has emerged as the fans’ favorite to steady the ship.The Indian fast bowler has been one of the biggest pillars of Mumbai Indians in the last decade. Since making his IPL debut for MI in 2013, Bumrah has played 158 matches for the franchise and played a central role in all five title-winning campaigns.With 187 wickets, he is currently joint fifth on the all-time IPL wicket-taker list and is one of the most reliable bowlers in world cricket. Surya Kumar was given the least priority among the contenders.Bumrah also got a brief taste of captaincy this season. He led Mumbai Indians in the match against Punjab Kings when both Pandya and Surya Kumar Yadav was unavailable and led the team to victory in his first outing as captain.This performance seems to have strengthened the belief among fans that Bumrah could be the ideal candidate to lead the franchise in a transition phase.Former MI captain Rohit Sharma, who led five IPL titles during his tenure, finished second in the survey with over 27 per cent votes. Young batsman Tilak Verma garnered more than 17 percent support, giving fans confidence in him as a future leadership option.Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav emerged as the least preferred candidate among the major contenders, securing just over 10 percent of the votes.The debate has divided experts and even former players, but several members of the TOI Sports panel felt that Mumbai Indians should trust Bumrah instead of looking for another fresh face.At 32 years old, Bumrah can offer both stability and continuity while giving the franchise plenty of time to prepare for a future long-term leadership transition.Whether Mumbai Indians finally make that change remains to be seen, but one thing is clear from the fan reaction – a large section of the supporters believe that it is time for Bumrah to take over.
