Big Setback For Mumbai Indians! Hardik Pandya To Miss MI vs CSK IPL 2025 Match In Chennai; Here's Why

Hardik Pandya set to miss MI vs CSK IPL 2025 match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 23.

Mumbai Indians (MI) will open their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, Mumbai Indians will be without their skipper Hardik Pandya for that much-anticipated clash.

After facing each other in Chennai, CSK and MI will play the reverse fixture at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 20. Not only CSK, Mumbai will also face Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad twice during the league stage of the IPL 2025. 

Under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, five times champions Mumbai Indians finished last in the standings, with eight points in 14 matches. So, they will look to turn the tables during the upcoming IPL 2025 season. 

Hardik Pandya To Miss CSK vs MI IPL 2025 Match In Chennai

Mumbai Indians will be in a bit of trouble at the start of the IPL 2025 as they will miss the services of their skipper Hardik Pandya in their campaign opener against Chennai Super Kings  on March 23 in Chennai. 

Notably, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik was fined Rs 30 lakh and suspended from his team’s next match for slow over-rate offence for the third time during the IPL 2024.  

"Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 17," a media release from IPL stated.

"As it was his team’s third offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh and banned from playing the team’s next match," it further said. 

Since Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 campaign ended with that match against Lucknow Super Giants, Pandya's suspension will only come into effect during the team's opening game of the IPL 2025 season. As a result, Hardik will miss the first match of IPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians. 

In Hardik's absence, Surya Kumar Yadav, who is the current T20I captain of the Indian team, could lead Mumbai Indians against CSK in Chennai.