Hardik Pandya Sidelined, New Captain Announced for Mumbai Indians' First Match

Mumbai(The Uttam Hindu): India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav will captain Mumbai Indians in their first match of IPL 2025 against Chennai Super Kings on March 23, regular skipper Hardik Pandya has confirmed. Pandya will not be available for Mumbai Indians' first match of the season as he is serving a one-match ban. The team had registered a slow over-rate in the final league match of IPL 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which was also their third offence of the season. Suryakumar captained Mumbai in one IPL match in 2023. "Suryakumar Yadav also captains India. He will captain Mumbai Indians in the first match of IPL 2025. I am fortunate to have three captains playing with me - Rohit, Surya and Bumrah. They always have a hand on my shoulder and whenever I need any help, they are always there," Pandya said at a pre-season press conference, which he attended along with head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Wednesday.

Talking about the Mumbai-Chennai clash, Jayawardene said, “It is a challenge for both teams. I have always enjoyed this contest, and am looking forward to it. There is a little more excitement for the team as well.” Mumbai are playing without their pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is recovering from a back injury he suffered during the Sydney Test in March. Jayawardene said Bumrah is still undergoing rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. “He is still at the NCA and is being monitored day-to-day. He is recovering well and is in good spirits; hopefully he will join the team soon.” Mumbai finished at the bottom of the points table last year and Pandya said the team is aiming to correct their performance in every aspect in IPL 2025. “Just play good cricket. At the same time stick to each other. Do the processes correctly. Go ahead and execute. With this group, given the talent, we will go ahead to enjoy the matches.”

Pandya said, “This year is a new year. A lot of things have changed; a lot of love and happiness has been added. There will always be passion and new challenges which I love. The most important part for me is to help the team so that value is added to the team.” Both Pandya and Jayawardene concluded by saying that adding Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult to the squad was extremely important for the five-time champions. “It was very important for us to get Trent Boult in. Deepak Chahar as well. We wanted to have an experienced bowling lineup, so that when the pressure comes we have players who have felt the pressure before,” Pandya said. Jayawardene added, “Last season we faced some challenges. But this has been a great auction, with which we have a new canvas. With our core team and a bunch of new players, including the returning Trent Boult. We want to put the puzzle together and get off to a good start!”