With five titles to their credit, the Mumbai Indians (MI) are known as among the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Their last title win came in 2020, but their performance in recent years has been disappointing. The team had ten defeats in 14 games in the IPL 2024 season and finished 10th. Hardik Pandya was named captain for the IPL 2024 season, taking over Rohit Sharma in a significant power change. MI fans booing Pandya shows their disapproval of this direction. Further, there were whispers of team breakdown over this change, which added to a hostile ambiance.
The team has kept Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya in readiness for IPL 2025. They also picked up Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, well-known players, during the auction. Thanks to their captaincy in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy, former tensions between Hardik and Rohit have been settled and MI now is favorably placed for a sixth title.
Beginning March 23, the Mumbai Indians (MI) will be in first place against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Hardik Pandya is the captain of the side, but he will not be playing against CSK, therefore prompting the selection of a replacement captain. Slow overrate in MI’s final IPL 2024 match against LSG got Pandya a one-match suspension. This is the third time MI has been punished for lagging behind the over rate, which resulted in their captain’s suspension.
There are many Mumbai Indians players who could possibly captain the team versus Chennai Super Kings. Rohit Sharma is their most proven captain, but after last season’s events it seems unlikely he will take up that role once more. Jasprit Bumrah has also a strong leadership record, but he is probably injured and therefore unavailable in the first IPL games. Given his role as captain of the Indian T20I team, this situation makes Suryakumar Yadav a feasible choice. Given all of these, Suryakumar Yadav should lead the Mumbai Indians in their first game against Chennai Super Kings.
