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Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has backed Jasprit Bumrah to take over as Mumbai Indians’ captain from the next Indian Premier League season amid their horrific IPL 2026 campaign.
His statement has come after Bumrah impressed everyone by leading MI to a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on May 14 in his first-ever IPL captaincy match.
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) on May 14 in Dharamshala as Hardik Pandya was not available due to a back injury and Suryakumar Yadav opted out of the game because of personal reasons.
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Despite the pressure, the Indian fast bowler guided MI to a dominant six-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday to help the team save their pride after they crashed out of the playoff race. It was a dream debut for Jasprit Bumrah as the captain in the IPL.
After watching Bumrah’s brilliant leadership against the PBKS, Mohammad Kaif feels the Mumbai Indians should seriously consider giving the Indian superstar the captaincy job full-time next year. He believes that Bumrah has already shown enough control, game awareness, and presence to handle a big team like Mumbai Indians, having already led India in Tests and T20Is.
He’ll do a great job: Kaif on Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy prospects
Kaif also pointed out that Bumrah had to wait a long time for the captaincy because MI had many established leaders in the squad. But now, the time has come for the MI to turn to Bumrah as a strong long-term captaincy option from the next season.
Mohammad Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel, “Mumbai Indians have a lot of options; that’s why Jasprit Bumrah had to wait for so long. If he gets a chance to lead next year, he’ll do a great job.”
The former Indian batter also praised young batter Tilak Varma for his unbeaten knock of 75 runs from just 33 balls against Punjab Kings. Kaif noted that the young left-hander has the ability to switch gears quickly, play both anchor and finisher roles, and stay calm even in tense situations when the required run rate is high.
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Tilak Varma’s future is bright: Kaif
Kaif said in praise of the MI star, “Tilak Varma has been hot and cold, but I praise him because he was batting on 22 runs off 19 balls when he scored 100 against GT. When he changes gears in the last five overs, he looks like the top three batters. I laud him for his adaptability. He’s available for any role. It was almost a game to be lost; they needed 50-odd in the last three overs.”
He was impressed by the kind of maturity Tilak has been showing at this age. Kaif signed off by saying, “When he wants to hit sixes, he can hit any balls. Very few players have the talent to change gears and score 40-50 runs in 10 balls. He keeps himself calm in difficult situations.
You don’t find players with such skills who can be both an opener (top-order batter) and a finisher. Good game reading capability. It was a controlled chase, but it was difficult. At 24-25, showing such maturity shows the future is bright.”
