Sanjay Manjrekar gives huge statement on Hardik Pandya’s MI future; suggests captain post IPL 2026

Hardik Pandya missed the Mumbai Indians' (MI) game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) due to back spasms. Meanwhile, vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav also gave the match a skip due to personal reasons. This allowed Jasprit Bumrah to lead MI for the first time.

Bumrah didn't put a foot wrong after winning the toss and opting to bowl first. While he went wicketless with the ball, he led the team proactively, and MI eventually won the match by six wickets with a ball to spare.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said that he would like to see Bumrah lead the five-time champions more often. The cricketer-turned-commentator urged the MI management to look beyond their current captain, Hardik Pandya.

"I’d like to see Jasprit Bumrah captain more because I don’t think anyone reads the game as well as he does. What he does with the ball is not just about his action or his skills. It’s also about anticipation, reading batters, understanding situations, and assessing pitches," Manjrekar told Sportstar.

"I think they might have to look beyond Hardik Pandya. I’d really like to see Bumrah being given a short-term opportunity because that’s not as much of a burden on him as being India’s Test captain, where he has to stay fit and ready for every Test match. I just hope the Mumbai Indians consider Bumrah as captain for the foreseeable future," he added.

"Even if he was only bowling at 135 kph, he still could have captained" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Jasprit Bumrah as India's Test captain

Manjrekar opined that Bumrah, despite his absence due to workload management, should have been appointed captain of the Indian Test team after Rohit Sharma retired from the format. Instead, India appointed Shubman Gill as captain to maintain continuity, which Manjrekar believes is overrated.

"Even in England, I believed that even if he was only bowling at 135 kph, he still could have captained. I don’t believe captaincy changes things that dramatically because we’ve seen so many examples in Indian cricket. For instance, when Virat Kohli stepped away [during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy] for a paternity break, and Ajinkya Rahane took over, India still won. A change in captaincy doesn’t suddenly transform the team," said Manjrekar (via the aforementioned source).

"So I think this idea that the captain has to play all five or six Test matches is a little overrated. If your team is full of players performing well, you should try to have the best possible captain leading whenever he is available. It also has to be someone deserving. Bumrah has the qualities and the body of work behind him."