IPL 2025: 3 players who can replace Hardik Pandya as captain in opener

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not far away, and there have already been some bid developments within the teams just ahead of the tournament. One of the big developments has come in the Mumbai Indians franchise, where their current skipper Hardik Pandya will be missing the first two games of the season due to the slow overrate rule in the game. 

This means that the franchise will need the perfect replacement for the star all-rounder and two-time ICC trophy winner going into the tournament. There are plenty of great options within the team who can take the reins in place of the 31-year-old T20 World Champion. 

Here are the top three players who can take Hardik’s place as the MI skipper in the first two games of the season: 

3. Rohit Sharma 

Though it is highly unlikely that Rohit Sharma will be leading the side once again after giving up the reins last season. Rohit has led the Mumbai Indians for 10+ years and led the team to five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. It will be interesting to see if the management will allow him to lead the side in the first two games since he is also the most experienced player in the team. 

Speaking of Rohit Sharma’s record as the Mumbai Indians captain in the 158 matches he has led the franchise, he has won 87 games, lost 67, and the remaining four games were tied. He has an overall win record of 55.06 percent in the tournament. 

2. Jasprit Bumrah 

Jasprit Bumrah is already regarded as a Mumbai Indians legend and is a big match-winner with the ball, whether he is bowling in the powerplay or at the death. Though he has not led the franchise in the tournament his cool and calm demeanor and game IQ can be enough to make him the reserve leader for the team in place of the swashbuckling all-rounder. 

Bumrah has not had a long stint in captaincy yet, but he has shown great leadership in Test matches. He has led the Indian team in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where the team went on to beat the hosts at the Adelaide Oval. The fans will be interested to see what plans he might have in the shorter format of the game. 

1. Suryakumar Yadav 

The player who might be the first pick to take over the role of captaincy in place of Hardik Pandya is India T20 specialist batter Suryakumar Yadav who has already got some experience leading a team in T20 cricket after taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma as the India T20I skipper after his retirement after 2024 T20 World Cup. Yadav has also led the team in the 2023 season against Kolkata Knight Riders, where the team won convincingly by five wickets. 

Surya also has a great record as the new T20I skipper for the Men in Blue in 23 matches. He has won 18, lost four games, and tied one game in his tenure. He currently has a win record of 78.26 percent, which also makes him the perfect choice to lead the team in the first two games of the season.