Mumbai Indians recorded yet another poor season in the 19th season of the Indian Premier League. The five-time champions finished ninth on the points table while being level on points with Lucknow Super Giants, who finished at the bottom. While LSG made a huge change in their leadership setup with Rishabh Pant not only stepping down as captain but also being traded to his former franchise, the Delhi Capitals. Meanwhile, MI would be looking at a new leader with Jasprit Bumrah and Tilak Varma leading the race to become the new captain for the decorated franchise.
A report has emerged that the five-time champions will he holding a review meeting next week in England to decide on multiple issues, including captaincy and trade deals. It is no secret that the relationship between Hardik Pandya and the Mumbai Indians soured beyond repair in 2026. It is expected that the star all-rounder will be among the players who will be traded before next year. His removal from the team would open up a captaincy spot.
Jasprit Bumrah or Tilak Varma: Who will be Mumbai Indians’ next captain?
Both Jasprit Bumrah and Tilak Varma are among the five players that were retained by the franchise after the 2024 edition. Now Bumrah, 32, and Varma, 23, are among the frontrunners to become the new captain of the franchise. Suryakumar Yadav would have been in contention; however, his being dropped from the Indian team could have led to him not being in the discussion to take up the leadership role in the franchise.
Jasprit Bumrah strong candidate for MI captaincy?
Jasprit Bumrah, who has led the Indian team in five games, including a couple of tests, is possibly the strongest option to lead the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming seasons. However, given his struggles with fitness, Bumrah remains a player who could miss some games to make sure he remains fit. Thankfully, for the five-time IPL champions, the star pacer has rarely missed a game for them in the last three seasons.
Why is Tilak Varma being considered for MI captaincy?
Tilak Varma, despite not having consistent performances in the last few years, is being considered for the captaincy at Mumbai Indians due to two reasons. The first reason remains his young age of 23, which makes him a long-term captaincy candidate. The second reason is his recent rise in the leadership setup in the Indian team as well. He was named the vice-captain of the T20I team while he captained the India A side in Sri Lanka to a tri-series win.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
