Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will square off as early as the second day of the IPL 2025 season, adding to the excitement for the competition, which begins on March 22 in Kolkata.

The Indian Premier League's El Clásico will take place on Saturday at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, with the high-profile match scheduled early in the season.

Unlike the previous year, the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will face off twice in the league stage, with the return encounter taking place on April 20 at Mumbai's famed Wankhede Stadium. In IPL 2024, fans lost out on a doubleheader between the two most successful franchises, as they only met once at Wankhede, with Chennai winning by 20 runs.

Notably, the Mumbai Indians will be missing their skipper, Hardik Pandya, for the high-profile encounter in Chennai. Hardik received a one-match ban in the IPL 2024 following the Mumbai Indians' final league game. MI did not make the playoffs; hence, the punishment will carry over to the IPL 2025 season.

Hardik was fined for three over-rate violations in IPL 2024. According to league rules, if a team fails to maintain the required over-rate three times in a season, the captain will be suspended for one match.

MI are yet to announce the captain for the encounter in Chennai, but they are not short of contenders for the job. Rohit Sharma, one of the most successful IPL captains, is a clear option. MI also includes India's Test captain, Jasprit Bumrah, and T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, in their team.

Hardik Pandya was under enormous strain last year when MI finished at the bottom of the table with only four wins in 14 games. MI fans booed him after he replaced Rohit Sharma as franchise captain.

The Mumbai Indians will face a difficult schedule in the IPL 2025, with no more than two straight home games at any time during the season. Meanwhile, the Chennai Super Kings will have a significant home edge, playing four of their first six matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

(India Today inputs)