Mumbai, March 20 -- Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will miss the team's much-anticipated IPL 2025 season opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday due to a one-match suspension.
Hardik's absence stems from a slow-over rate offence during MI's final group-stage game against Lucknow Super Giants last season. It marked MI's third over-rate violation in 14 matches, resulting in an automatic suspension for the skipper.
The 31-year-old allrounder, who assumed captaincy of MI from Rohit Sharma last season, stated that Suryakumar Yadav, India's T20I men's national team captain, will lead the franchise against CSK in his absence.
"Surya will be the ideal choice when I am not there," Hardik said during ...