Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians in Raipur, India, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo)Jasprit Bumrah will make his Mumbai Indians (MI) captaincy debut in the IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Thursday.The 32-year-old will lead the five-time champions in the absence of both regular captain Hardik Pandya and stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav.“A kid with a unique action bowled yorkers at will. That same kid, now a legend of the game will lead the Blue & Gold in Dharamshala. A journey to be proud of, Captain Jasprit!” Mumbai Indians wrote on Instagram, celebrating his elevation to captaincy.Bumrah made his IPL debut for MI in 2013 and has since been one of their most reliable performers with the ball. In 156 matches for the franchise, he has taken 186 wickets at an economy rate of 7.33, often delivering in various stages of an innings.He was the highest-paid retention of the franchise ahead of the mega auction in November 2024.His appointment as stand-in captain comes at a difficult time for MI, who have already been eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoff race following their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday.Bumrah has led India in Test cricket and was the captain when the team beat Australia at Perth in the first of five Tests during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd