The Mumbai Indians will be led by Suryakumar Yadav in their first match of IPL 2025, due to the absence of regular captain Hardik Pandya, who was given a one-match suspension in MI’s last match of IPL 2024. However, Hardik stated that he was unaware of the ramifications of keeping a slow over-rate during the last game of the previous season.
In MI’s final match of the 2024 IPL, against the Lucknow Super Giants, Hardik Pandya was penalized for the slow over-rate. As a result, he received a one-match suspension for his upcoming IPL match and a fine of INR 30 lakh because it was his third infraction of the season.
On March 23, MI will play their first match of the IPL 2025 in Chennai against the Chennai Super Kings. However, on March 29, Hardik will be available for MI’s second game of the season against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Two days later, on March 31, MI will play their first home game of the IPL 2025 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The first week of April then sees them play two games: LSG in Lucknow on April 4 and RCB at home on April 7.
In addition to Hardik, they will also be missing Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sidelined since January due to a lower back injury. It is expected that Bumrah might miss some initial games of IPL 2025.
