In an early blow to Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025, their captain Hardik Pandya is ruled out of the side’s season opener against their rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The IPL on Sunday (Feb 16) announced the final schedule of the 18th edition of the cash-rich league, where the two most successful IPL teams are scheduled for an early face-off in the second game on March 23 at Chepauk.

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Upon his return to his first IPL franchise following a trade with MI and Gujarat Titans (GT), Pandya took over the captaincy from veteran skipper Rohit Sharma. That decision, however, wasn’t well-received by the fans, as they mocked and booed the star all-rounder throughout, piling pressure on him, which led to a dip in his and the team’s performance.

As a result, Mumbai could win just four out of the 14 matches, finishing at 10th position with just eight points.  

If that wasn’t enough, Pandya being slapped with a one-match ban for three over-rate offenses the past season, resulting in him getting ruled out of the marquee clash against CSK in IPL 2025, would add salt to the injury.

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Since Pandya’s MI failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024, his one-match ban is carried forward to IPL 2025.

However, it remains to be seen who leads Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings in their first face-off of the season. With several options to choose from, ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah leads the race, subject to his fitness.

Mumbai, Chennai to face off twice in IPL 2025

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Unlike the past season, where Chennai and Mumbai played each other only once, the IPL heavyweights will take on each other twice this year, with the first game coming on the second day of IPL 2025, while the return fixture is scheduled on April 20 in Mumbai.

The most-talked-about IPL rivalry has plenty riding on it, given the superstars featuring across both camps. While Mumbai’s squad is a star-studded one featuring Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav among others, Chennai’s backbone remains intact with MS Dhoni, the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja holding it tight.

Squads –

CSK - Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Andre Siddarth, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Vansh Bedi, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Anshul Kamboj, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Gurjapneet Singh, R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad and Shreyas Gopal

MI - Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Mujeeb Rahman, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Raj Angad Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams and Vignesh Puthur

(With inputs from agencies)