IPL 2025: Rohit Sharma to Captain Mumbai Indians vs CSK? Hardik Pandya to miss first Match for this Rule

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Mumbai Indians will have to start their IPL 2025 campaign without their captain, Hardik Pandya.

The star all-rounder is set to miss MI's highly anticipated opening match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on March 23.

BCCI recently announced the schedule for IPL 2025, confirming that defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opener.

MI will play CSK in Chennai the next day but the Paltans are set to miss their captain for the match, who will be ruled out after failing to comply to IPL rules last year.

Why will Hardik Pandya miss the opener for MI in IPL 2025?

Hardik Pandya's absence results from a penalty imposed during the IPL 2024 season. In MI's final group-stage match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last year, the team was found guilty of maintaining a slow over rate. As this was MI's third offence under the IPL's Code of Conduct, Hardik was handed a Rs 30 lakh fine and a one-match suspension, which shall carry forward to this season as well.

"Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 17," an official IPL statement confirmed.

"As it was his team's third offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh and banned from playing the team's next match," the statement added.

With Hardik unavailable, MI will need to appoint a stand-in captain for their season opener. The five-time IPL champions have leadership personnel in their ranks - with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah all in the team.

Who will captain MI in IPL 2025 opening match?

Although Rohit Sharma is in contention to lead, it is unlikely that the veteran will be captaining for one match. It is likely that Suryakumar Yadav will be the skipper for Mumbai's opening match in IPL 2025. Suryakumar has been an integral part of MI and is the ideal candidate to replace Pandya. Jasprit Bumrah is also an option MI can exercise for the solitary match.