Jasprit Bumrah (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
NEW DELHI: Since making his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been an integral part of the franchise. Over the years, he has played 157 matches for MI and picked up 186 wickets. But during Thursday’s IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, Bumrah was seen in a different role – captain.Bumrah was handed the Mumbai Indians captaincy in the absence of both regular skipper Hardik Pandya and stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav. And the pacer delivered in style in his first outing as Mumbai Indians captain, leading the side to a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings.This was not the first time Bumrah had captained a side. He has previously led India in both Tests and T20Is.His leadership experience includes captaining India in two Tests during the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and the rescheduled Birmingham Test against England in 2022.Bumrah has also captained India in two T20Is, with India winning both matches under his leadership.After Mumbai Indians – already out of the IPL 2026 playoff race – secured the win, Bumrah was asked about his experience leading the side during the post-match presentation.“Yeah, first game, like I said, I’ve captained a Test match. I’ve captained T20Is. Now the only game that is left is ODI cricket. But I don’t see that happening (laughs), but jokes apart. Really happy. I had good fun, good weather, great ground. So enjoyed my time,” Bumrah said.A blazing half-century from Tilak Varma and an explosive innings from Ryan Rickelton powered Mumbai Indians to the six-wicket win.Bumrah said he was pleased with the team’s execution on a surface that was slightly drier than expected, where maintaining consistent lengths proved important.“Yeah, one from one (smiles). Both teams played good cricket, and we really pulled back well. A little bit, but the wicket in this game looked a little bit drier than the previous one. Maybe it wasn’t as cold as it was in the last game. Whatever we saw in the previous game and reading this game, holding your length was key. That was the plan, and credit to all bowlers, and they kept their nerve as well. I think Tilak’s knock and the way Shardul bowled both deserve equal credit. Tilak kept his shape, Jacks also contributed,” Bumrah said after the match.Bumrah has endured a difficult IPL 2026 campaign with Mumbai Indians so far, taking just three wickets in 12 matches. He has gone wicketless in eight games and currently has an economy rate of 8.53.