India’s star and recent Champions Trophy winner, Hardik Pandya, is set to start his journey for the second time as the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025. Hardik will captain a team that includes Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma. He’s looking much more confident with the season, online last season when he didn’t receive support from the fans, this year the story is different for him.
What makes MI special in 2025?
Speaking to Star Sports, Hardik said, “This time, we have assembled an experienced squad—players who have played a lot of cricket at the highest level. That in itself is exciting. The key now is to come together as a unit and execute our plans efficiently. If we do that, we will have some very good days ahead.”
MI invested in bowling
Hardik Pandya shared his view on MI’s strategy, believing that bowling is something they invested in this season. “The players we picked were always a part of our plan. This year, our primary objective was to build a strong bowling attack, considering Wankhede is a challenging venue. Playing in the IPL in Mumbai, particularly at Wankhede, can be intimidating due to the high-scoring nature of the pitch. We wanted bowlers with experience, pace, and the ability to generate swing and bounce.” he added.
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Hardik Pandya on support from fans
Hardik faced a lot of backlash last season with the Mumbai Indians when he replaced five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma, receiving boos from the fans at Wankhede Stadium. The same fans were thrilled two months later when he led India to win the T20 World Cup. Speaking on the turnaround, Hardik Pandya said, “I kept pushing through, and when all the hard work finally paid off, it was beyond anything I could have scripted. The six-month phase where we won the World Cup, and then the kind of love and support I received upon returning—it was a complete 360-degree turnaround for me.” he concluded.
Mumbai Indians (MI) Squad for IPL 2025
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Raj Angad Bawa, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Krishnan Shrijith, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Corbin Bosch, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Karn Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Vignesh Puthur
