Surya to lead MI in IPL-18 opener against Chennai Super Kings

Suryakumar Yadav. Pic/AFP

India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav will lead Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL-18 opening game versus Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on March 23 as regular captain Hardik Pandya has been banned for this fixture due to a slow over-rate offence during the team's last game of IPL 2024, where he was also fined Rs 30 lakh.

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"Surya, obviously, leads India [in T20Is] as well. When I'm not there, he is the ideal choice [to lead MI] in this format," Pandya said during MI's pre-season press conference on at a city hotel on Wednesday.

MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said: "We have been officially communicated that he [Pandya] has to miss [the first game]."