New Delhi: Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been named captain of Mumbai Indians in the absence of both regular captain Hardik Pandya and stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav in IPL 2026 against Kings XI Punjab. This is the first time for Bumrah to lead the Mumbai Indians, a franchise he has represented for over a decade.
Bumrah made a memorable debut as captain of Mumbai Indians as he led the team to a six-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab.
In a video posted by Mumbai Indians on social media, Bumrah can be heard saying: “Nayak Dekha Hai? Ek Din ka Mukhya Mantri [Have you watched Nayak? CM For A Day]”
Bumrah, who captained the Mumbai Indians in the absence of both Pandya and vice-captain Suryakumar, compared it to the Bollywood film Nayak: The Real Hero, which stars actor Anil Kapoor as the chief minister for a day.
The reference comes from the 2001 film about Shivaji Rao, a television cameraman who unexpectedly becomes the chief minister of a state after challenging a corrupt politician in an interview.
During his short time in power, he made bold decisions to fight corruption and won public support.
Bumrah has been an integral part of the team since making his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013. Over the years, he played 157 games for MI and took 186 wickets.
Is Bumrah leading the team for the first time?
This is not the first time that Bumrah has captained the team. He has previously led India in Tests and T20Is. His leadership experience includes captaining India for two Tests during the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, as well as the rescheduled Birmingham Test against England in 2022.
Bumrah has also captained India in two T20I matches and the team won both matches under his leadership.
After the victory of Mumbai Indians, who have already exited the IPL 2026 playoffs, Bumrah was asked about his experience leading the team in his post-match speech.
“Yes, the first game, like I said, I captained a Test match. I captained the T20Is. The only game left now is ODI cricket. But I don’t think that will happen (laughs), just joking. Really happy. I had a lot of fun, the weather was great, the pitch was great. So enjoyed my time,” Bumrah said.
