Why Hardik Pandya Is Banned for MI vs CSK Match in IPL 2025?

Mumbai Indians faced Chennai Super Kings in their opening match of IPL 2025 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. However, their regular captain, Hardik Pandya, was not part of the playing XI. His absence left fans wondering why he was missing from such a crucial game.

Reason Behind Hardik Pandya’s Ban

Hardik Pandya was banned for this match due to a slow over-rate penalty from IPL 2024. During Mumbai Indians’ last league-stage game against Lucknow Super Giants on May 17, 2024, Pandya’s team failed to maintain the required over-rate. As a result, the BCCI imposed a one-match ban and fined him ₹30 lakh. This suspension carried over to IPL 2025, ruling him out of MI’s season opener against CSK.

Playing XIs for MI vs CSK

Here are the playing XIs for both teams in this match:

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Satyanarayana Raju.

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed.