Who is leading Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings? Hardik Pandya reveals

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya has revealed the name of the player who is set to lead in the game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 31-year-old has been banned for the opening game of the tournament due to the ban he suffered in the last game of the 2024 season. 

Pandya revealed that Suryakumar Yadav is the ideal candidate to lead the side in the opening match versus CSK. Speaking to the media, Hardik said, “Suryakumar Yadav is India's T20I captain. So, it is ideal for him to lead the MI team in my absence in the first game against CSK.”

Suryakumar Yadav took over as the captain of India’s T20I side after Rohit Sharma retired from the format. It is to be noted that the Men in Blue are the current T20I World Cup winners. Since taking over as the captain, Yadav hasn’t lost a bilateral series and will be leading India when they look to defend their title early next year. 

During the course of his chat with the media, Pandya also said, "I am lucky that I have three captains playing with me—Rohit, Surya & Bumrah. They always place an arm around my shoulder and are there when I need any help."

Can SKY break the opening day jinx for Mumbai Indians?

Five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians have lost each of their opening encounters in the league since 2012. Their last win in the opening game of the season came against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. if MI go on to lose the game on Sunday it will be their 13th straight loss in the first match of the season. 

Suryakumar Yadav has led the Mumbai Indians just once and went onto win the game. The game in question was against his former side Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2023 season. Kolkata batted first and scored 185 runs, with Venkatesh Iyer scoring 104. Mumbai won the match by five wickets, as Yadav scored 43 and Ishan Kishan scored 58. 

Rohit Sharma is the best captain in Mumbai Indians’ history, having led the team in 163 matches. Rohit, won 91 games and went onto lose 68 matches, while four games ended in a tie. Under Rohit’s leadership, MI went onto win five IPL titles, the last of which came in 2020 against the Delhi Capitals in Dubai.