NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians have endured another disappointing IPL season, and one debate has already begun dominating conversations ahead of IPL 2027 — who should lead the five-time champions next season?And if the fans are to be believed, there is a clear favourite.A TimesofIndia.com poll conducted after Mumbai Indians’ disastrous IPL 2026 campaign has revealed overwhelming support for long-serving pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to take over the captaincy from Hardik Pandya. More than 44 percent of the fans voted in favour of Bumrah becoming the next Mumbai Indians captain, making him the clear front-runner in the race for leadership. The poll came in the aftermath of another underwhelming season for MI, who managed only four wins in 14 matches and crashed out in the league stage.For a franchise known for setting the benchmark in the IPL over the years, the 2026 season turned into another forgettable chapter. Mumbai Indians looked completely out of sync across departments, suffering 10 defeats and finishing far away from the playoff spots.As a result, scrutiny around Hardik Pandya’s leadership has only intensified.Bumrah emerges as fans’ clear favouritePandya returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024 after two highly successful seasons with Gujarat Titans, where he led the franchise to a title in 2022 and another final in 2023. His comeback to MI was seen as the beginning of a new era after Rohit Sharma’s successful tenure.However, the transition has not produced the expected results.Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the table in IPL 2024 with only four wins. Although there was some improvement in 2025, when MI reached the playoffs and defeated Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator before losing to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2, the title drought continued.The pressure was immense heading into IPL 2026, with many expecting Mumbai Indians to finally reclaim their dominance. Instead, the campaign spiralled into another disappointment.Nothing seemed to click for the five-time champions. The batting lacked consistency, the bowling struggled for rhythm and Pandya himself missed a couple of matches during the season. By the end of the campaign, Mumbai Indians were once again left searching for answers after another early exit.Amid growing uncertainty over the leadership, Bumrah has emerged as the fans’ preferred choice to steady the ship.The India pacer has been one of Mumbai Indians’ biggest pillars over the last decade. Since making his IPL debut for MI in 2013, Bumrah has played 158 matches for the franchise and has been central to all five title-winning campaigns.With 187 wickets, he currently sits joint fifth on the all-time IPL wicket-takers list and remains one of the most dependable bowlers in world cricket. Suryakumar least preferred among contendersBumrah also got a brief taste of captaincy this season. He led Mumbai Indians in a match against Punjab Kings when both Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav were unavailable and guided the side to victory in his first outing as skipper.That performance appears to have strengthened the belief among fans that Bumrah could be the ideal candidate to lead the franchise through a transition phase.Former MI captain Rohit Sharma, who delivered five IPL titles during his tenure, finished second in the poll with more than 27 percent of the votes. Young batter Tilak Varma secured over 17 percent support, highlighting the faith fans have in him as a future leadership option.Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav emerged as the least preferred candidate among the major contenders, receiving just over 10 percent of the votes.The debate has also divided experts and former players, but several members of the TOI Sports panel felt Mumbai Indians should trust Bumrah with the responsibility instead of searching for another new face.At 32, Bumrah could offer both stability and continuity while allowing the franchise enough time to prepare for a long-term leadership transition in the future.Whether Mumbai Indians eventually make that change remains to be seen, but one thing is clear from the fan response — a large section of supporters believes the time has come for Bumrah to take charge.
