Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will miss the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season against Chennai Super Kings. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently revealed the schedule for the 18th edition of the IPL.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will kick off the tournament against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

The third match of the tournament will feature Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings on March 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will face Rajasthan Royals in the afternoon match on the same day.

Hardik Pandya's One-Match Ban

Hardik's absence in MI's season opener is due to a one-match ban handed to him for slow-over rates in IPL 2024. Mumbai's last match in the league stage was against Lucknow Super Giants, where they ended the season in last place.

Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh and given a one-match suspension after MI committed their third slow-over rate offence of the season. The BCCI stated that as it was their third violation under the IPL's Code of Conduct, the captain was banned for the next match, while the other players in the playing XI, including the Impact Player, were fined Rs 12 lakh or 50% of their match fees, whichever was lesser.

This suspension carried over into IPL 2025, meaning Hardik will miss the clash against CSK.