Mumbai Indians have retained Hardik Pandya for IPL 2025, but they will not have his services for the first match of the season. You may be wondering how this could be, as IPL 2025 hasn’t even started yet. Well, although the auction is still underway, Pandya will miss the first match due to a ban imposed on him.
Ban Due to Slow Over Rate
The ban on Hardik Pandya has been imposed due to slow over rates. In Mumbai Indians’ final match of IPL 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants, Pandya’s team was penalized for slow over rates. This was the third instance of slow over rate for him in the season, resulting in a fine of ₹30 lakh and a one-match ban.
Captain Ban on Third Offense
According to the IPL code of conduct, if a team is penalized for a slow over rate, the captain is fined ₹12 lakh for the first offense, ₹24 lakh for the second, and after the third offense, the captain faces a one-match suspension, just like Hardik Pandya.
Who Will Captain in Hardik’s Absence?
Now the question arises: if Hardik isn’t available for the first match, who will take over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians? Candidates like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav are in the race. However, Suryakumar Yadav seems to be the front-runner in the eyes of the team management.
Mumbai Indians Retain Five Players
Mumbai Indians have retained five players for IPL 2025, including Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma. Bumrah was retained for ₹18 crore, Suryakumar for ₹16.35 crore, Rohit for ₹16.30 crore, and Tilak Varma for ₹8 crore.