Hardik Pandya is once again back with Mumbai Indians for IPL 2025 and will look to forget what happened last season. The Mumbai Indians skipper was booed all over and failed to deliver desirable results. Under him, the team finished at the bottom of the IPL table, which surely doesn’t suit the five-time champions. Pandya’s performance, both with the bat and ball, came under scrutiny. However, this champion all-rounder redeemed himself and played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. We can expect that now he will redeem himself in the upcoming IPL 2025 as well.
There is, however, a twist that may not sit well with Hardik Pandya’s fans. Yes, it is now confirmed that Pandya will be with Mumbai Indians for one more season, but did you know that he will not feature in Mumbai Indians’ first match? We expect that the team will pick him in the playing XI for every game, but in the opening game of MI, we will not see “Kung Fu Pandya.” So, what is the reason behind this?
Will Hardik Pandya play for MI in their first match of IPL 2025?
The decision to ban Hardik Pandya for the first game of IPL 2025 was made by the BCCI following Mumbai Indians’ slow over-rate in their last game of IPL 2024. Since the BCCI has implemented new rules regarding slow over-rates, if a fielding team fails to bowl their overs in time, the captain faces a Rs 12 lakh fine for the first offense. If this happens again, the captain is fined INR 24 lakh, and the other players are fined INR 6 lakh or 25% of their match fee, whichever is less. The third and final offense results in the captain being banned for one game. In this case, the skipper is fined INR 30 lakh, and the other players are fined INR 12 lakh or 50% of their match fee, whichever is less.
Since Mumbai Indians, under Hardik Pandya, failed to complete 20 overs within the given time in three matches, with the third offense occurring in their final game against Lucknow Super Giants, this is the reason why he will face a ban and will not be able to play in Mumbai Indians’ first game.
MI retained list 2025
| Player | Price (Rs) |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 18 crore |
| Hardik Pandya | 16.35 crore |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 16.35 crore |
| Rohit Sharma | 16.30 crore |
| Tilak Varma | 8 crore |
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