Mumbai Indians registered a win under their new stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, as they beat Punjab Kings in their fifth consecutive game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on Thursday. The result didn’t just complicate their playoff qualification but also gave MI a glimpse of the future as well.

“Yeah, one from one (smiles). Both teams played good cricket, and we really pulled back well. A little bit, but the wicket in this game looked a little bit drier than the previous one. Maybe it wasn’t as cold as it was in the last game. Whatever we saw in the previous game and reading this game, holding your length was key,” he said in the presentation ceremony.

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“That was the plan, and credit to all bowlers, and they kept their nerve as well. I think Tilak’s knock and the way Shardul bowled both deserve equal credit. Tilak kept his shape, Jacks also contributed. I have captained a Test match, I have captained T20s, and now the only game left is ODI cricket, but I don’t see that happening. Jokes apart, very happy. Had good fun, good weather, great ground, so enjoyed my time,” Bumrah again said.

However, Jasprit Bumrah made his IPL captaincy debut for the Mumbai Indians on Thursday. Full-time captain Hardik Pandya is recovering from a back spasm injury, whereas stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav was missing from the clash due to personal reasons as well. A blistering fifty from Tilak Varma and an explosive knock from Ryan Rickelton helped the Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket victory over the Punjab Kings as well.