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Former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif has backed Jasprit Bumrah as Mumbai Indians captain from the next Indian Premier League season amid a poor IPL 2026 campaign.
His statement comes after he impressed everyone by leading MI to a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in his first IPL captaincy match in Dharamshala on May 14.
Mohammad Kaif backs Jasprit Bumrah for MI captaincy after tough IPL 2026 season
Jasprit Bumrah stepped in as captain for Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamshala on May 14 as Hardik Pandya was unavailable due to a back injury and Suryakumar Yadav opted out of the game due to personal reasons.
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Despite the pressure, the Indian pacer led MI to an impressive six-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday, helping the team save its pride after being knocked out of the playoff race. It was a dream debut for Jasprit Bumrah as captain in IPL.
After seeing Bumrah’s brilliant leadership against PBKS, Mohammad Kaif feels Mumbai Indians should seriously consider giving the Indian superstar full-time captaincy next year. He believes that Bumrah, who has led India in Tests and T20Is, has already shown enough control, game awareness and presence to handle a big team like Mumbai Indians.
He will do a great job: Kaif on Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy prospects
Kaif also pointed out that Bumrah had to wait a long time for captaincy as there were many established leaders in the MI team. But now, the time has come for MI to introduce Bumrah as a strong long-term captaincy option from the next season.
“Mumbai Indians have a lot of options, which is why Jasprit Bumrah had to wait for so long. If he gets a chance to lead next year, he will do a great job,” Mohammad Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel.
The former Indian batsman also praised young batsman Tilak Verma for his unbeaten inning of 75 runs in just 33 balls against Punjab Kings. Kaif said the young left-hander has the ability to change gears quickly, play both the anchor and finisher roles and remain calm even in stressful situations when the required run rate is high.
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Tilak Verma’s future is bright: Kaif
Kaif praised the MI star, saying, “Tilak Verma has been very cool and cool, but I admire him because he was playing 22 off 19 balls when he scored 100 against GT. When he changes gears in the last five overs, he looks like a top-three batsman. I appreciate his adaptability. He is available for any role. It was almost a losing game; he had to bat in the last three overs. “About 50 were needed.”
He was impressed by the maturity that Tilak was showing at this age. “When he wants to hit sixes, he can hit any ball. Very few players have the talent to change gears and score 40-50 runs in 10 balls. He keeps his cool in difficult situations,” Kaif said.
You don’t find players with such skills who can be both an opener (top order batsman) and a finisher. Good game reading ability. It was a controlled chase, but it was tough. Showing such maturity at the age of 24-25 shows that the future is bright.”
