IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya Rohit Sharma will not captain Mi! Mumbai Indians caught badly

Last Updated:February 17, 2025, 11:55 IST

In IPL 2025, five-five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are going to start their campaign against each other on 23 March. But Hardik Pandya will not be able to play in this match.

Hardik Pandya will not be able to play in the opening match.

New Delhi: Prior to IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians removed Rohit Sharma and made Hardik Pandya captain. Then this decision was strongly opposed. The five -time champion team was at the bottom of the points table. But now it seems that Rohit Sharma can captain Hardik in the opening match of the new season starting from 22 March. There is also a major compulsion of franchisees behind this decision.

Mumbai’s first match on 23 March
In fact, the schedule of the 18th season of IPL was released on Sunday evening. The opening match will be played between defending champions KKR and RCB on 22 March at Eden Gardens. The next day i.e. on March 23, the IPL will be ‘L Classico’, in which the arch -rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will compete.

Watch the full schedule of IPL here

A match ban on Hardik
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will not be able to play in this high voltage match played at Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In the previous season, he was banned for a match and a fine of Rs 30 lakh due to slow over speed. The BCCI had said in a release last year that it was the third over-rate crime of his team, so Pandya was fined.

Why is Rohit in place of Hardik?
In such a situation, in the absence of Hardik Pandya, the team can entrust the responsibility to former captain Rohit Sharma. Under the captaincy of Rohit, MI has won five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Mumbai Indians have defeated CSK three times in the IPL final and have a great record of 20-17 against Chennai Super Kings.

IPL 2025: Why Chennai Super Kings set to reach the playoffs! Good news received as soon as the schedule comes

Surya also strong options
If Rohit Sharma refuses to take over the captaincy, then Mumbai Indians also have a strong option like Suryakumar Yadav. Indian T20 team captain Surya started his captaincy for Mumbai Indians in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankheda Stadium in Mumbai on 16 April 2023. On the other hand, Rohit was first assigned a captivity in the mid -season of 2013, after which he has led the franchise in a total of 158 matches by 2023.