Suryakumar Yadav will captain Mumbai Indians in their opening IPL match against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday as regular skipper Hardik Pandya will be forced to sit out due to a one-match suspension for over-rate offences committed by the team last season.
Suryakumar is the national T20 captain and recently led the side to a 4-1 triumph over England at home.
However, his batting form wasn't particularly impressive and he managed just 38 runs in the five outings during the series.
"Surya leads India as well. When I am not there he is the ideal choice," Pandya said during MI's pre-season press conference in Mumbai.
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said the BCCI has communicated the one-match ban on Pandya to the team owing to three slow over-rate violations by his team last season.
MI had finished at the bottom of the heap, managing just four wins against 10 losses in 2024, which was Pandya's debut year as captain.
He took over from Rohit Sharma, who led the side to five trophies but was struggling at that stage.