Will Hardik Pandya Play Against GT After Missing Season Opener?

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) captain, Hardik Pandya, missed the team’s first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 due to a slow over-rate ban he had picked up last season. The ace all-rounder was the only captain to be banned for a slow over-rate offence in the IPL 2025.

However, he’ll now be returning to the side and is set to lead the Mumbai Indians for the first time in IPL 2025 against the Gujarat Titans. Notably, MI haven’t been able to beat GT in Ahmedabad in their three previous attempts since 2023. They would need their captain to be at his best to register a win. 

The penalty on Pandya came after Mumbai’s last game of the 2024 season, and hence, his suspension came into effect in the first game of the 2025 season. 

While the franchise generally pay the over-rate fine for the players, Pandya sat out the crucial encounter, and MI were defeated by four wickets in that game. Suryakumar Yadav lead the side in Pandya’s absence. 

MI had one of their poorest seasons last year in IPL history, finishing last on the points table. Pandya faced a lot of acrimony from the MI crowd after he was made the skipper. Now, after Pandya has won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy with the Indian team, such a hostile environment isn’t expected, and it would be interesting to see how MI fans react to their skipper against GT.