Hardik Pandya meets New Zealand star pacer at MI camp ahead of IPL 2025 [Watch]

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya met star New Zealand pacer Trent Boult at the gym during the team's camp ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to begin on March 22.

The 35-year-old Kiwi pacer was part of MI for two seasons, in 2020 and 2021, picking up 38 wickets in 29 matches before being bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 8 crore during the 2022 mega auction.

Now, three years later, Boult is making his return to MI after the franchise secured him for INR 12.50 crore in the 2025 mega auction. The left-arm pacer has an impressive IPL record, having taken 121 wickets in 104 matches.

With the 2025 season fast approaching, players have started arriving at their respective team camps. MI took to their X account to share a moment when skipper Hardik met star pacer Boult at the gym.

Here’s a video of the moment:

Hardik Pandya was last seen in action during the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy against New Zealand on March 9 in Dubai. India defeated the Black Caps by four wickets to claim the title, becoming the team with the most Champions Trophy victories, having won three titles (2002, 2013 and 2025).

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Hardik Pandya to miss MI's opening game of IPL 2025

Mumbai Indians will kick off their 2025 IPL campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, they will be without their captain, Hardik Pandya, for the opening match.

This is due to a suspension resulting from MI's failure to complete their overs within the allotted time on three occasions during IPL 2024. Since the third over-rate violation occurred in MI’s last match of the season, Pandya's suspension will extend into IPL 2025.

Former captain Rohit Sharma, who has led the franchise to five IPL titles, or Suryakumar Yadav, could take on the captaincy role for the first game.