IPL 2026: Jasprit Bumrah's turn at captaincy begins with control, less noise

DHARAMSHALA : Jasprit Bumrah’s first outing as Mumbai Indians captain felt less like a temporary fix and more like a glimpse of a possible future.

MI won, Bumrah sounded astute and unruffled, and the franchise may have found its steadiest leadership option for next season if the “uncertainty” surrounding Hardik Pandya remains and Suryakumar Yadav’s batting continues to be iffy.

One game is too small a sample to draw sweeping conclusions as far as Bumrah’s captaincy for MI is concerned. But as subplots go, this one has a compelling beginning.

Bumrah had waited a long time for this leadership opportunity. He became MI captain only in his 157th IPL appearance, an almost absurdly late handover for a cricketer who joined the franchise in 2013 and has since become one of its defining figures. At the toss, Bumrah joked: “I didn’t expect to be a Test captain before I became the captain of Mumbai Indians,” a line that carried both humour and a touch of disbelief.

That remark also captured the central oddity of Bumrah’s leadership arc. India trusted him before Mumbai did. He has already captained India in Tests and T20Is, winning one Test, losing two, winning two T20Is and seeing one wash out. He first led India in the rescheduled Edgbaston Test in 2022 when Rohit Sharma was ruled out with Covid, then guided the T20I side to a 2-0 series win in Ireland in 2023 and later stood in during the Perth Test in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India won.

What stood out in Dharamsala was not just the result but the manner. Bumrah came across as composed, concise and in control, the kind of captain who does not try to dominate a room so much as steady it. He said he welcomed responsibility, called it a new challenge and spoke of enjoying the final stretch of the season rather than merely surviving it.

That tone matters for a team that has spent the season searching for balance. With Hardik unavailable and Surya not always able to offer continuity with the bat, Bumrah offered MI a simpler centre of gravity. He does not need to prove his value for the franchise; every spell already does that. His captaincy has the feel of a problem-solver, not that of a showman.

Shardul Thakur, who returned with figures of 4/39 against Punjab Kings on Thursday, framed the larger picture neatly. “I have my comfort level with him (Bumrah). We had lots of discussions rather, and I don’t know much about the other bowlers, but of course he’s never shy of sharing his ideas,” Thakur said after the match. “He is definitely a bowler’s captain.”