Wasim Jaffer heaped praise on Tilak Varma’s temperament and skills and also lauded Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy after the Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday, May 14. The five-time champions defeated last year’s finalists by six wickets with a ball to spare.
Tilak Varma starred with the bat, as he slammed an unbeaten 75 off 33 balls to help MI chase a 201-run target with one ball left in the innings. Wasim Jaffer lauded the southpaw’s temperament and backed him to excel in all three formats in international cricket. The former India opener also mentioned that he can’t still fathom the fact that Tilak was retired out as a tactical move by MI against the Lucknow Super Giants last season.
“I sometimes get surprised that ye woh ladka tha jisko MI ne retired out karya tha (He is the same guy who was retired out by MI). You see how many times he has done it for India and MI. He is an amazing talent and is an all-format player, not just a T20 player. When he gets a chance in the other formats is a different thing, but he is an amazing player with tremendous temperament and skills. The boy is very hardworking, and I like his work ethic,” Jaffer said in his latest YouTube video.
Jaffer applauded the 23-year-old for holding his own in a star-studded MI setup since his maiden IPL season in 2022.
“He stands out among all these stars. I remember that in his first season, MI had a very terrible season, but he outshone in that star-studded team. Since then, it was clear that this guy has a lot of potential,” he added.
“He is a very intelligent guy” – Wasim Jaffer lauds Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy after MI vs PBKS IPL 2026 clash
Jaffer also praised Jasprit Bumrah, who led MI on Thursday, after regular captain Hardik Pandya and his deputy, Suryakumar Yadav, were unavailable.
“He is a very intelligent guy. You see him talk in the press conference, or the way he understands bowling. It won’t surprise me that he can be a good captain. The Indian team also showed confidence in him and gave him captaincy in the WTC final when Rohit was not available,” Jaffer said.
Jaffer stated that if Bumrah can maintain his fitness, he is a great choice for full-time captaincy at the Mumbai-based franchise.
“I feel that he is captaincy material; there is no doubt in this. Whether he will do it or not is a different thing because it also depends on his fitness and how many matches he remains available for. This is a big issue. If you are a captain, you have to give full commitment and play every match. Can he do it? That is a question mark,” Jaffer elaborated.
