Suryakumar Yadav is set to captain Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opening match of the IPL 2025 season against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai. Regular captain Hardik Pandya will miss the game due to a one-match suspension from the previous season for a slow over rate.
With Jasprit Bumrah also unavailable due to injury, Suryakumar’s appointment as captain is not unexpected, especially considering his recent leadership of the Indian T20I team. Hardik Pandya confirmed Suryakumar’s captaincy for the CSK match during a pre-season press conference with head coach Mahela Jayawardene.
Hardik stated, “Suryakumar Yadav is leading India as well. He will captain Mumbai Indians in the first game,” when questioned about the stand-in captain for the high-profile match.
Mumbai Indians boast three experienced captains within their squad. Rohit Sharma has previously captained India across all formats and currently leads the national Test and ODI teams. He also captained Mumbai Indians for 11 seasons, from 2013 to 2023. Suryakumar Yadav is the current Indian T20I captain, and Jasprit Bumrah has captained India in Test matches.
Hardik Pandya expressed his positive outlook, saying, “I am lucky to have three captains playing with me. It brings added experience to the team. If I need advice, I have three different minds who have led India in various formats with extensive experience. They can support me, and I appreciate that.”
Hardik Pandya will return for the second match of the season, an away game against Gujarat Titans. Mumbai Indians will play their first home game at Wankhede Stadium on March 31 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
