Mumbai Indians (MI) dream of 6th The IPL title has been crushed. MI’s play-off dreams were shattered as they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last over of the match on the night of 10 May. As the season ended on a disappointing note, the franchise has been asked to appoint Jasprit Bumrah as their captain.
MI won their last Indian Premier League title, their 5ththIn 2020. Since then, they have remained trophyless. To revive the glory days, the management appointed Hardik Pandya as the leader, but it has not worked so far.
Sanjay Manjrekar asks MI to appoint Jasprit Bumrah as its captain
Former Team India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has some suggestions for Mumbai Indians. He asked the franchise to immediately dismiss Hardik Pandya from the leadership role. According to Manjrekar, as a captain, Jasprit Bumrah can perform much better than Pandya.
Why Jasprit Bumrah can be a better leader for MI? In explanation, the former international cricketer said that Bumrah has a good eye on the field. Manjrekar appreciates the skills of seamers to read and predict matches.
He said, “I want to see Bumrah captaining India, because I don’t think anyone sees the game as well as he does. What he does with his bowling is not just about action; it is also about anticipation, reading the batsman, understanding the situation and understanding the pitches. I am a bit disappointed that he is not interested in being the captain in England. He did not captain when Shubman Gill was made the captain. But hopefully at least He should get that opportunity in the Indian Premier League.” A conversation with Sportstar.
Sanjay pointed out a wrong step taken by Mumbai Indians
Manjrekar felt that bringing in Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans was a wrong move by MI. In Gujarat Titans, where Hardik Pandya led the team to its first IPL title, former Team India fast bowler Ashish Nehra was with him. Nehra is the head coach of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL, having been appointed in January 2022. 2022 was the first season for the franchise, and they became champions in that season.
Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Actually you understood what I was hinting at, because I think they have to look beyond Hardik Pandya. Yes, because that move definitely hasn’t worked out. It’s not fair to Hardik either. It’s like a package deal. You know, if Hardik was going to come to Mumbai, he should have brought Ashish Nehra along with him. But Ashish won’t be with him.”
Can Jasprit Bumrah handle the extra pressure?
To solidify his assessment, the 60-year-old further claimed that leading Mumbai Indians would not be an extra burden for Bumrah as he had captained Team India in Tests.
He said, “I would really like to see Jasprit Bumrah given a chance because it is not as much of a burden on him as being a Test captain, where he has to be fit and ready for every Test match.”
Read more: Sanjay Manjrekar took a strong dig at Virat Kohli, calling him extremely sensitive to criticism.
