India, March 31 -- Mumbai Indians got off to a rather sensational start against the Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match of the 2025 season of the IPL at the Wankhede Stadium after captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bowl. However, there was a bit of a highlight at the toss itself with Pandya being received with massive cheers at by the MI faithful at the iconic stadium.

This stands in stark contrast to the unsavoury scenes of last season, when Pandya was booed quite comprehensively by his home fans throughout the season. The anger from the fans came due to rumours swirling around the replacement of Rohit Sharma as captain by Pandya, who had returned to the franchise after two seasons away with the Gujarat Titans.

The ...