(Image source from: Nationalheraldindia.com)

Former Indian cricket team player Sanjay Manjrekar encouraged the Mumbai Indians to remove Hardik Pandya from his role as captain and to place Jasprit Bumrah in charge instead. The team was knocked out of the IPL 2026 playoff competition after losing to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a dramatic finish. The five-time champions have secured only three victories in this year's tournament up to now, and both fans and analysts have harshly criticized Hardik's leadership. During a chat with Sportstar, Manjrekar mentioned that the franchise should reconsider their leadership choices and allow star bowler Bumrah the opportunity to take on the captaincy. "I would love to see Bumrah lead India because I believe no one understands the game quite like he does. His bowling goes beyond just technique; it involves predicting plays, analyzing the batter, assessing the situation, and knowing the pitches. I feel a bit let down that he doesn’t seem keen on being a captain in England. He didn’t take on the role when Shubman Gill became captain. But I hope he will at least have that chance in the Indian Premier League," he stated.

Manjrekar further suggested that the Mumbai Indians should have also brought in Ashish Nehra when they made an exciting trade for Hardik. Hardik and Nehra had a successful collaboration that led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL championship. "You understood what I was hinting at because I think they may need to consider options beyond Hardik Pandya. Yes, because that trade hasn’t really worked out. It’s not just unfair to Hardik. It feels like a combined package deal. If Hardik was joining Mumbai, they should have also secured Ashish Nehra at the same time. But Ashish won’t be joining him." "I would genuinely like to see Bumrah getting a chance because leading isn’t as demanding as being a Test captain, where he has to maintain his fitness and be prepared for every match," he added.