India, March 19 -- Indian T20 captain and batting sensation Suryakumar Yadav willl lead Mumbai Indians in their opening match against Chennai Super Kings in the absence of regular skipper Hardik Pandya.

Hardik will be opening the clash in Chennai as he will serve the one-match ban imposed on him last season due to a slow over-rate

Hardik confirmed the development during a pre-season press conference.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene also attended the event.

Hardik Pandya was quoted as saying by the media: "He will lead Mumbai Indians in the first match."

Surya is the captain of the Indian national team and under his leadership, the Men in Blue beat England in a recently played series on home soil.

He was appointed as the skipper of the...