New Delhi, March 19 -- Suryakumar Yadav will captain the Mumbai Indians in their opening match of the IPL 2025 season. Regular skipper Hardik Pandya is serving a one-match ban, making him unavailable for the first game.

"Surya leads India as well. When I am not there, he is the ideal choice in this format and an exciting one as well," Hardik said on March 19 during Mumbai's pre-season press conference in Mumbai.

Mumbai Indians will begin their campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Team India's current T20I captain previously captained Mumbai Indians in one IPL match in 2023.

Hardik Pandya has been handed a one-match ban for maintaining a slow over-rate during Mumbai Indians' la...