Jasprit Bumrah joined the elite list of players with the most matches in IPL before leading a side when he captained the Mumbai Indians for their match against the Punjab Kings on 14th May 2026. As Hardik
Pandya missed the match for back spasms and Surya Kumar Yadav for personal reasons, Bumrah debuted as captain after playing 156 matches for MI and making history by being the second-most experienced player to debut as captain in IPL history.
Bumrah was even surprised enough to express his thoughts after getting the debut captain’s Cap, he said after the toss during MI vs PBKS, “ I didn’t think I would be a Test Captain before I’ll captain Mumbai Indians”. He became the tenth captain of the Mumbai Indians.
Top 6 players with the most matches in IPL before leading a side
Here are the top players with the most matches played before their IPL captaincy debut, updated as of the 2026 season:
|
Players |
No of Matches |
IPL debut captain Season |
|
Ravindra Jadeja |
200 |
IPL 2022 |
|
Jasprit Bumrah |
156 |
IPL 2026 |
|
Manish Pandey |
153 |
IPL 2021 |
|
Axar Patel |
148 |
IPL 2024 |
|
Kieron Pollard |
137 |
IPL 2019 |
|
Surya Kumar Yadav |
126 |
IPL 2023 |
Ravindra Jadeja (200 matches)
Ravindra Jadeja debuted as an IPL captain in the 2022 season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), succeeding MS Dhoni. However, his tenure was short-lived as he stepped down mid-season due to team performance and to focus on his game, passing the captaincy back to Dhoni. He currently plays for the Rajasthan Royals after being traded by CSK for Sanju Samson.
Manish Pandey (153 matches)
Manish Pandey made his IPL captaincy debut on October 8, 2021, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against the Mumbai Indians. In this debut match, he scored 69* off 41 balls, though SRH lost by 42 runs. This was his only match as a captain in his 150+ game IPL career up to 2026. Manish Pandey currently plays for his former team, Kolkata Knight Riders, after being acquired ahead of the 2024 IPL auction.
Axar Patel (148 matches)
Axar Patel made his IPL captaincy debut forDelhi Capitals on March 24, 2025, leading the team to a one-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants. He was previously the vice captain of the franchise and became the 13th captain to lead the side.
Kieron Pollard (137 matches)
Kieron Pollard often captained MI in the absence of Rohit Sharma. He first captained the Mumbai Indians in the IPL during the 2019 season, making his debut as stand-in skipper against Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium. He led the side to a three-wicket victory and also scored a brilliant 81 runs in the innings, claiming the proverb “ captain leading from the front”
Surya Kumar Yadav (126 matches)
Suryakumar Yadav made his IPL captaincy debut for the Mumbai Indians (MI) against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 16, 2023, at Wankhede Stadium, where he scored a 25-ball 43 as stand-in captain. Currently, Hardik Pandya captains the side, but Surya has also successfully led India to their third T20I World Cup Trophy as the captain of the men in blue.
