Hardik Pandya had confirmed the news in the pre-season press conference.
The five-time former champions Mumbai Indians are without their regular captain Hardik Pandya in their opening IPL 2025 clash against Chennai Super Kings. Suryakumar Yadav is leading the side instead, with Pandya available for selection only from the next game.
The confirmation was given by Pandya and the Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene in a press conference last week.
“Suryakumar Yadav leads India as well. He will lead Mumbai Indians in the first match,” said Hardik.
Suryakumar last led Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 in a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Hardik Pandya is missing the match due to an over-rate offence that took place in Mumbai Indians’ final group fixture of the IPL 2024. He incurred a fine of INR 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate against Lucknow SuperGiants. This was Mumbai’s third over-rate violation of the season, which meant a mandatory one-game suspension for the captain.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has changed the rule moving forward. They have now adopted the demerit points system of the International Cricket Council (ICC). As per this system, demerit points will be carried forward for three years, and the ban will only be imposed in extreme cases.
Pandya will return to lead the team in the next game against Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad on March 29.
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Suryakumar Yadav was the perfect candidate to fill in as the captain, especially with Jasprit Bumrah also missing the match. Yadav was appointed as the captain of the India T20I team following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format last year.
SKY has led the Indian team in 22 T20 internationals, winning 18 of those. He also has plenty of experience of captaincy, having led the Mumbai team across formats in domestic cricket.
Mumbai Indians have not won their first match of the season for the last 12 years and it is a challenge Suryakumar will love. His task, however, will not be easy with two of their biggest match-winners missing the game.
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