IPL 2025: 2 players who can captain Mumbai Indians in absence of Hardik Pandya in their season opener against CSK

Hardik Pandya will miss Mumbai Indians’ first match of the season against CSK.

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin on March 22 and will feature defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in first match of the season at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will begin their campaign on March 23 against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai.

They had a disastrous IPL 2024 campaign, where they finished at the bottom (10th) of the league stage with just eight points from 14 games. The decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as captain last season backfired as the franchise got embroiled in several controversies even before the start of the tournament.

The franchise will be without their captain, Pandya, in their opening game of the season as he was handed a one-match suspension by the BCCI after MI’s last match of IPL 2024 for his team’s slow over-rate.

As MI were found guilty of violating slow over-rate three times in the season, Pandya was fined INR 30 lakhs and handed a one-match suspension.

On that note, let’s take a look at the two players who can captain Mumbai Indians in Hardik’s absence.

IPL 2025: Two players who can captain Mumbai Indians in absence of Hardik Pandya in their season opener against CSK

1. Suryakumar Yadav

India’s current T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, would be the front-runner to lead MI against CSK on March 23. The Indian team has thrived under Yadav’s captaincy and have revolutionized the way T20 cricket is played.

He recently led India to a 4-1 series win against England in January, following a dominant 3-1 victory against South Africa in November.

Suryakumar has only captained once in the tournament before, and if given another opportunity, he would love to make it count against the franchise’s toughest rivals.

2. Rohit Sharma

One of the most successful captains in tournament history, Rohit Sharma is another option to step in for Pandya in Chennai on March 23.

Rohit has an unmatched legacy in the IPL and is the only player to have won the title six times. He also led Mumbai Indians to five league titles between 2013 and 2023 during his tenure as captain of the side.

Rohit led the franchise in 163 matches in IPL, winning 91 and losing 68, with a win percentage of 55.82.

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