Sanjay Manjrekar wants Bumrah to replace Hardik as Mumbai Indians captain

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested that Mumbai Indians should make a big change in their leadership. He wants Jasprit Bumrah to become the captain of the team instead of Hardik Pandya.

This comes after MI had a very poor season in IPL 2026. The five-time champions have won only three matches so far. Hardik Pandya’s captaincy has faced a lot of criticism. The team is already out of the race for the playoffs. Their hopes ended with a painful last-ball loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Why does Manjrekar want Bumrah as captain?

Manjrekar praised Bumrah for his smart understanding of the game. He believes the star fast bowler has great cricket knowledge. He can read batters well and understand pitch conditions. Manjrekar feels these qualities make Bumrah a good choice to lead the team.

“I would like to see Bumrah captain India because I don’t think anyone sees the game as well as he does,” Manjrekar told Sportstar.

He also said that leading in the IPL will not put too much pressure on Bumrah. He compared it to the heavy responsibility of being India’s Test captain.

What went wrong with Hardik?

Manjrekar pointed out that when Mumbai Indians brought Hardik Pandya back, they should have also brought Ashish Nehra with him. Hardik and Nehra had great success together at Gujarat Titans, where they won an IPL title. But Nehra did not come to Mumbai.

“You actually caught what I was hinting at because I think they might have to look beyond Hardik Pandya. That move certainly hasn’t worked,” Manjrekar said.

In the current season, Suryakumar Yadav has been leading the team when Hardik is not available. But Manjrekar believes Bumrah should be given a chance to captain.

“He should get that shot in the IPL. That is not as much of a burden on him as being a Test captain,” he added.

                                               

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