Jasprit Bumrah Claims Stakes On India's ODI Captaincy Before 2027 World Cup

Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir (Source: AFP)

Mumbai Indians (MI) have finally returned to winning ways in the IPL 2026 with a thrilling six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala on Thursday (May 14). While the match belonged to Tilak Varma’s sensational unbeaten innings, it was also a special night for Jasprit Bumrah, who made his captaincy debut for Mumbai Indians.

Jasprit Bumrah became the 10th player to captain the five-time IPL champions after Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav were unavailable for the match. The Indian ace pacer led confidently and guided MI to only their fourth win of the season.

It is important to note that the team is playing only for pride as it has already been eliminated from the race for the IPL 2026 playoffs.

Tilak Varma guides India to massive win

Chasing a massive target of 201, Mumbai Indians completed the chase in 19.5 overs. Young batter Tilak Varma played one of the finest knocks of the season for MI, smashing an unbeaten 75 off just 33 balls.

Ryan Rickelton gave MI a flying start with a quick 48, but it was Tilak who controlled the chase in the middle and death overs. He found excellent support from Will Jacks, who remained unbeaten on 25 off only 10 balls.

Also Read: Most IPL Matches Played Before Captaincy Ft. Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

The turning point came in the 18th over when Mumbai Indians needed 50 runs from the final three overs. Tilak Varma attacked Marco Jansen immediately, hitting two huge sixes and a boundary. Will Jacks also joined the assault as MI collected 22 runs in the over and shifted the momentum completely.

Needing 15 runs in the final over, Will Jacks smashed a six before Tilak finished the game in style with back-to-back maximums, sealing a memorable victory for Mumbai Indians.

Punjab Kings Waste Strong Total Despite Prabhsimran’s Fifty

Earlier in the evening, Punjab Kings posted a competitive total of 200/8 after being asked to bat first.

Prabhsimran Singh scored 57 runs off 32 balls, although he survived two dropped catches during his innings. Punjab looked set for an even bigger total before Mumbai bowlers pulled things back in the middle overs.

Shardul Thakur was the standout bowler for MI, finishing with impressive figures of 4/39. Deepak Chahar picked up two wickets, while Corbin Bosch and Raj Bawa chipped in with one wicket each.

Despite losing wickets regularly, Punjab managed to cross the 200-run mark thanks to explosive late cameos from Azmatullah Omarzai, Vishnu Vinod and Xavier Bartlett.

The defeat marked Punjab Kings' fifth consecutive loss of the season, making things difficult for the franchise ahead.

Jasprit Bumrah opens up on India's ODI captaincy

After the match, Jasprit Bumrah grabbed headlines for his humorous remark about India’s leadership across formats.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Jasprit Bumrah joked that ODI captaincy is the only format left for him to lead India in, but admitted that he does not see it happening anytime soon.

"I’ve captained a Test match, I’ve captained T20Is. Now the only game that is left is ODI cricket. But I don’t see that happening" Jasprit Bumrah said.

At present, Shubman Gill is India's ODI captain following Rohit Sharma's exit from the role. Reports also suggest Shubman Gill could continue leading India in both Tests and ODIs during the upcoming international season.

Meanwhile, India’s T20I captaincy remains a major talking point. Current skipper Suryakumar Yadav has faced increasing scrutiny, and several names, including Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, are being discussed as possible future leaders.

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya Out As Virat Kohli's Trusted Man Announces India's New T20 Captain