Jasprit Bumrah (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
NEW DELHI: Former India captain, 1983 World Cup winner and former selector Kris Srikkanth praised Jasprit Bumrah for his leadership during Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamshala. Bumrah’s first outing as captain of the Mumbai Indians turned out to be a memorable one as he guided the team to an important victory in the IPL 2026 season.Pandya, sidelined with a back spasm, first missed Mumbai Indians’ home clash against Lucknow Super Giants on May 4. He then missed the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur despite traveling with the team. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav led the team. Pandya also did not travel to Dharamsala for Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Punjab Kings, where Jasprit Bumrah became MI’s third captain this season after Suryakumar missed the match following the birth of his son.Under Bumrah’s leadership, Shardul Thakur took four wickets while Deepak Chahar claimed two as Punjab Kings posted 200/8. Mumbai Indians then chased down the target in 19.5 overs, powered by Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 75 off just 33 balls.“It’s a good decision. I think Bumrah coming in as captain is a fantastic move,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.He also praised the overall intent and performances of the Mumbai Indians players.“Surya didn’t play in that match either. He didn’t play the match for personal reasons, he didn’t play the match. But whatever, the young team suddenly, as you say. They come and Deepak Chahar is bowling well. That Raj Angad Bawa teammate is bowling decently. Everyone is performing. Tilak Varma performed brilliantly. Ryan Rickleton smashed and dominated with aggressive shots right from the start.”“Overall, the will to win, the will to succeed was there. Even though they were depressed, they showed the will to succeed. That’s the key to cricket. That energy was there,” Srikkanth said.Srikkanth added that Bumrah’s calm and encouraging presence on the field helped the players perform with confidence.“And if you look at the bowling too, even Bumrah was smiling continuously. He was giving a lot of confidence to the bowlers. And I thought Bumrah’s captaincy made a big difference for the likes of Deepak Chahar. And of course Shardul Thakur, because otherwise they bowl loose deliveries and runaways. Today, everyone took wickets,” Srikkanth said.
