Thirteen years after first wearing the blue and gold of Mumbai Indians, Jasprit Bumrah finally walked out as captain of the five-time IPL champion on Thursday night in Dharamsala.

The moment was born out of circumstance. Regular captain Hardik Pandya and stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav were both unavailable for the clash against Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. Rohit Sharma, despite his decorated captaincy record, has largely featured as an Impact Player in recent games, paving the way for Bumrah to take charge.

And while Mumbai’s IPL 2026 playoff hopes are already over, the night still carried symbolic weight. Bumrah, who has represented only Mumbai Indians since his debut season in 2013, became the third captain used by the franchise this year. The side even registered an elusive a win, powered by Tilak Varma’s blazing 33-ball 75.

Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes the one-game glimpse should encourage Mumbai Indians to think more seriously about Bumrah as a leadership option going forward.

“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 said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.

Manjrekar admitted he was surprised that Bumrah had not appeared particularly eager to pursue leadership opportunities despite previously captaining India.

“I’m a little disappointed that he doesn’t seem too keen on captaincy. In England, he didn’t captain when Shubman Gill was made captain. But hopefully, at least in the Indian Premier League, we should give that a shot.”

When asked whether that could mean Mumbai Indians eventually moving beyond Hardik Pandya as captain, Manjrekar did not shy away from the suggestion.

“Yeah, you caught what I was hinting at because I think they might have to look beyond Hardik Pandya,” he said.

“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.

“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.”

Manjrekar backed his point with historical examples, pointing to India winning under stand-in captains in the past.

“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.

“Going further back, in 1988, when Ravi Shastri took over after Dilip Vengsarkar was injured and captained the final Test in Chennai, India beat West Indies.”

For Manjrekar, leadership continuity matters less than having the best tactical mind available in charge.

“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.

“That’s my view. I know not too many people will agree with it. But it also has to be someone deserving. Bumrah has the qualities and the body of work behind him. I just hope Mumbai Indians considers Bumrah as captain for the foreseeable future.”