Will Rohit Sharma lead Mumbai in the absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav?

Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma

He could be the third captain to lead the team in IPL 2026 when Mumbai Indians take on Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Thursday.Regular skipper Hardik Pandya is currently injured, while stand-in skipper Surya Kumar Yadav has not traveled to Dharamsala for the match. TimesofIndia.com reported..This leaves Mumbai Indians with few leadership options. One of them is Tilak Verma, who was named India A captain for the tri-series in Sri Lanka on Thursday. The franchise also features former India captain Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles between 2013 and 2023.However, according to a report by Cricbuzz, Jasprit Bumrah can captain Mumbai Indians against Punjab Kings.The 33-year-old pacer has captained India before and was reportedly among the names being considered for India’s Test captaincy before deciding against taking on the full-time charge.Bumrah is one of the most experienced players in the Mumbai Indians squad, having played 156 matches in 13 IPL seasons.Although he has played 156 matches for Mumbai Indians, Bumrah has never captained the franchise before. However, he led India in two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests in Australia during the 2024–25 series and also captained the team in the 2022 Test against England in Birmingham.If Bumrah leads the team, he will become the 10th player in IPL history to captain Mumbai Indians.List of All Captains of Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma remains Mumbai’s longest-serving captain, having led the franchise in 163 matches between 2013 and 2023.Mumbai Indians were the second team to fall out of the playoff race this season. Their defeat against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 10 May confirmed their elimination. Mumbai have won just three matches and lost eight so far, leaving them ninth in the points table.Punjab Kings, meanwhile, will look to capitalize on the situation in Mumbai as they look to get back to winning ways after four consecutive defeats. During this run, Punjab moved from the top of the table to fourth place.