Sun Feb 16 15:19:21 UTC 2025: ## Mumbai Indians Captain Pandya to Miss IPL Opener Due to Suspension

**Mumbai, India –** Mumbai Indians (MI) will begin their IPL 2025 campaign without captain Hardik Pandya, who will miss the team’s opening match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23rd due to a one-match suspension. The suspension stems from a slow over-rate penalty incurred during MI’s final group stage match of IPL 2024 against the Lucknow Super Giants. In addition to the match ban, Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh.

The IPL 2025 schedule, released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday, sees KKR facing RCB in the tournament opener. MI’s match against CSK will be the second game of the day, played at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai. Pandya will return to the MI lineup for their second match against Gujarat Titans on March 29th.

With Pandya unavailable, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah are among the contenders to lead MI against CSK. The announcement comes after a turbulent year for MI, which saw Rohit Sharma’s dismissal as captain and Pandya’s appointment in his place, a move that reportedly caused friction within the team. Despite past issues, the team is now united in its pursuit of a sixth IPL title.

The full Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2025 includes: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Raj Angad Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, and Vignesh Puthur.

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