Why Hardik Pandya Will Miss Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2025 Opener Against CSK?

Why Hardik Pandya Will Miss Mumbai Indians: As per an announcement made recently regarding timings and scheduling of the 18th season of the Indian cash-rich league, Mumbai Indians under Hardik Pandya will miss the opening match of the Indian Premier League 2025 against Chennai Super Kings.

The defending champions KKR will kick-start the tournament against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the afternoon of Saturday, March 22, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Mumbai Indians will lock horns with the Chennai Super Kings on March 23 in the evening for the third match of the tournament at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, in the first match on that day; between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Rajasthan Royals.

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As Hardik was banned for one match for slow over rates in his last match of IPL 2024, the Mumbai Indians' first match of the season against CSK will not be played by him. The last game was played by MI on the league stage against the Lucknow Super Giants, finishing in the lowest position in the tournament.

The third slow-over rate offence of MI in the season led to Hardik being fined Rs 30 lakh and subsequently a one-match ban. "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 INR 30 lakhs and banned from playing the team’s next match. The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 12 lakhs or 50 percent of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser," BCCI had said in the release last year.

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For the previous two offences of slow-over rate, Hardik was penalized. In fact, initially, he was fined Rs 12 lakh against Punjab Kings for the slow-over rate committed in the 33rd game of IPL 2024. The second one happened during the away match against LSG for not finishing the overs in the prescribed time at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.

This marked his third offence, for which Hardik has to sit out for one match. Since there were no further matches remaining for MI in IPL 2024 following this, it would mean that his suspension stands carried over to IPL 2025 when he would not be able to place against Chennai Super Kings.

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