Mumbai Indians (MI) will be without their captain, Hardik Pandya, for their opening match of IPL 2025. Although Pandya was confirmed as MI’s captain for the upcoming season, he will miss the first game of the season, which kicks off on March 13.
Hardik’s absence from the first match is due to a slow over-rate ban. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been strict about enforcing over-rate rules, penalizing captains and players for failing to complete overs within the required time. A first offence results in a Rs 12 lakh fine for the captain, while a second offence incurs a Rs 24 lakh fine. For a third over-rate violation, the captain is banned for one match and fined Rs 30 lakh. Players are also fined after the first offence.
MI’s slow over-rate violation occurred in their final league-stage game of IPL 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants, leading to Hardik Pandya serving a one-match suspension in IPL 2025.
MI retained Hardik for IPL 2025 during the mega-auction and confirmed he would lead the team. Along with him, they kept key players such as Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma.
With Hardik sidelined, the question arises: who will step in as captain? MI did not have a vice-captain in IPL 2024, and it remains unclear who will lead the team in Hardik’s absence. Suryakumar Yadav, the current T20I captain, is a strong candidate to captain MI for the second time in his career, having previously led the team in IPL 2023 when Rohit Sharma played as an Impact Player. Jasprit Bumrah, who has never captained MI, serves as vice-captain for the Test team but has captained in three games.
