Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, the El Clásico of IPL, is scheduled for March 23. IPL 2025’s third match will mark the season opener for both CSK and MI. This high-voltage clash will take place at CSK’s home ground, Chepauk. Nearly a month later, on April 20, Mumbai Indians will host CSK at Wankhede.
Suryakumar Yadav To Lead Mumbai Indians vs CSK
However, Hardik Pandya will miss the season’s first El Clásico. The MI captain is serving a one-match suspension due to the team’s slow over-rate in three matches during IPL 2024. As per IPL rules, a captain faces a one-match ban after three slow over-rate offenses in a season. Speaking about this in the pre-season press conference, Hardik confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav will lead MI in his absence.
“Surya leads India as well. When I am not there, he is the ideal choice. I think this is something out of my control. Last year, what happened was just part of the sport. I think we bowled one and a half or two minutes late. At that time, I didn’t know the consequences of what could happen. It is unfortunate, but it is the rule. Now, whether they continue with this rule next year is up to the higher authorities. They can look into it and decide how it should be implemented,” said Hardik Pandya.
Last season Mumbai Indians traded Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans. He had led GT to two consecutive IPL finals and won the title in 2022. But his captaincy at Mumbai Indians has not gone well so far. He has led the team in 14 games and managed to win only four.
Despite this, the Neeta Ambani-owned franchise backed the all-rounder as captain. They had other options like Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Rohit Sharma is also there, the man who led India to two ICC titles in the last two years. After Pandya’s poor performance the franchise could have considered going back to Rohit.
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However, it is clear that Suryakumar Yadav will now take on the role of vice-captain for Mumbai Indians. He has led MI in one match so far, against KKR in 2023, where the team secured a win.
