Mumbai Indians Urged To Sack Hardik Pandya As Captain, Told About Missed IPL 'Package Deal'

Former Indian cricket team batter Sanjay Manjrekar urged Mumbai Indians to sack Hardik Pandya as their skipper and appoint Jasprit Bumrah in his place. MI were eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoffs race following a last-ball loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The five-time champions have won just three matches in this year's competition so far, and Hardik's captaincy has been brutally criticised by both fans as well as experts. In a conversation with Sportstar, Manjrekar said that the franchise needs to rethink their leadership and give star pacer Bumrah the chance to lead the side.

"I'd like to see Bumrah captain India, because I don't think anyone sees the game as well as he does. What he does with his bowling is not just about the action, it's also about anticipation, reading the batter, reading the situation and understanding pitches. I'm just a little disappointed that he doesn't seem interested in being captain in England. He didn't captain when Shubman Gill was made captain. But hopefully, at least in the Indian Premier League, he should get that shot," he said.

Manjrekar went on to suggest that MI should have signed Ashish Nehra as well when they completed a sensational trade move for Hardik. Hardik and Nehra formed a successful partnership as they guided Gujarat Titans to the IPL title.

"You actually caught what I was hinting at, because I think they might have to look beyond Hardik Pandya. Yeah, because that move certainly hasn't worked. It's not fair to Hardik as well. It's like a package deal. You know, if Hardik was going to come to Mumbai, then they should have got Ashish Nehra as well with him. But Ashish won't be with him."

"I'd really like to see Bumrah being given a shot because that is not as much of a burden on him as being a Test captain, where he has to stay fit and ready for every Test match," he added.

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