CSK start their IPL 2025 campaign with a win over MI. (PC: X.com)Rachin Ravindra sealed it with a six. MS Dhoni was watching from the other end, as Chennai Super Kings began their IPL 2025 campaign with a four-wicket win against Mumbai Indians. The Chepauk was choc-a-bloc on Sunday evening. The home team kept finding someone or the other to win the crucial moments. MI fought despite missing Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, but were never really in it after making 155/9.
Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad had put CSK firmly on course with a 67-run partnership for the second wicket. The captain, who came in at No. 3 and sent in Rahul Tripathi as opener, was in blazing touch and started with fours on either side of the wicket. Ravindra rotated strike, while Gaikwad smashed 53 of 26 balls. It was the most sparkling batting performance of the match.
MI lost three more wickets and all of them were trying to clear the fence, like Gaikwad. The scoreboard showed 116/5, but Ravindra had time by his side, as well as a few capable batters for company. In the XI ahead of New Zealand teammate Devon Conway, the youngster showed sound understanding of the situation. He didn’t get carried away and anchored the team to the target.
MI’s brief comeback was highlighted by a memorable debut by Vignesh Puthur. Playing his first match at the senior level, the left-arm wrist-spinner from Kerala took three for 32 from four overs. He invited the batters to have a go at him. Two of them holed out in the deep. Another was clean bowled.
It was actually a day of the chinaman bowlers. Noor Ahmad was the star of a smart performance by the CSK bowling unit. The player from Afghanistan ripped the heart out of the MI middle-order with figures of four for 18 from four overs. The youngster overshadowed Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja by spinning the ball in both directions.
Due to him, CSK broke the resistance offered by Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. They lifted the team from 36/3 and kept the scoreboard moving in their stand of 51. But the Ahmad blows broke their back. They went past 150 due to Deepak Chahar’s unbeaten 28 off 15 balls.
Playing his first match for CSK, Khaleel Ahmed have given his team a flying start earlier. The left-arm pacer took the openers, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, in two overs and finished with three for 29 from four overs.