Chennai Super Kings opened their IPL 2025 campaign with a victory over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians, chasing down 156 in their season opener at Chepauk on Sunday.
Fifties from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and all-rounder Rachin Ravindra secured the win after Afghan spinner Noor Ahmed made an impact on his CSK debut with a four-wicket haul, restricting Mumbai to 155/9.
Dubbed the IPL’s El Clásico, the clash between the two five-time title winners, followed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 44-run victory over Rajasthan Royals earlier in the day.
Chasing 156, CSK surged to 62/1 at the end of the powerplay after Deepak Chahar removed opener Rahul Tripathi for two in the second over.
Gaikwad, who walked in at No. 3 instead of opening, set the tone with a blistering 22-ball half-century before falling for 56 in the eighth over.
However, debutant spinner Vignesh Puthur pulled MI back into the contest, dismissing Gaikwad before striking again in successive overs to remove Shivam Dube (9) and Deepak Hooda (3), reducing CSK to 107/4 in the 12th over. The chase grew tense when Will Jacks dismissed Sam Curran for 4, leaving CSK at 115/5.
Meanwhile, Rachin, who anchored the innings with a composed 65 off 45 balls, steadied the chase alongside Ravindra Jadeja before the latter was run out for 17 in the penultimate over.
Rachin sealed the win in style, smashing a six off compatriot Mitchell Santner to take CSK to 158/6, as MS Dhoni watched from the non-striker’s end without opening his account.
Khaleel, Ashwin rock MI; Noor dazzles
Earlier, Ruturaj won the toss and opted to field in the high-profile clash between the league’s two most successful teams. On a typical Chepauk surface, CSK struck early and kept chipping away with wickets to prevent MI from building any real momentum. While Noor (4/18) dismantled Mumbai’s middle order, it was left-arm seemer Khaleel Ahmed (3/29) who set the tone with two quick wickets inside the powerplay.
Khaleel struck in the first over as Rohit Sharma flicked straight to Shivam Dube at mid-wicket. Ryan Rickelton, who looked fluent in his brief stay, played on while attempting a drive, giving Khaleel his second wicket.
Returning to CSK after a decade, Ravichandran Ashwin made an immediate impact, dismissing Will Jacks for seven in his first over. Mumbai ended the powerplay at 52/3.
Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 26) and Tilak Varma (31 off 25) stitched together a 51-run stand to stabilize Mumbai’s innings. However, Noor turned the tide in the 11th over, with MS Dhoni producing a lightning-fast stumping to remove the MI stand-in skipper. The veteran wicketkeeper showed he remains as sharp as ever, whipping off the bails before Suryakumar could complete his bat swing.
With Hardik Pandya unavailable due to an over-rate suspension, Suryakumar led the side but struggled to see off Chennai’s spin threat.
Noor struck twice in the 13th over, dismissing Tilak with a deceptive googly just two balls after sending back debutant Robin Minz. He then bowled Naman Dhir, reducing Mumbai to a precarious position with more than half their side back in the hut before reaching 100.
Former CSK pacer Deepak Chahar provided a late push for Mumbai with an unbeaten 28 off 15 balls. His cameo, along with lower-order contributions, helped MI reach 155/9 at the end of 20 overs.
For the hosts, Ahmad, Australian pacer Nathan Ellis, and Indian left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed have made their CSK debuts, while veteran spinner Ashwin donned the yellow jersey again for the first time since 2015.
For Mumbai, Rickelton, Minz and Satyanarayana Raju have made their IPL debuts, while Will Jacks (formerly with RCB) and Mitchell Santner (formerly with CSK) feature for the first time in Mumbai colours.
MI were without regular skipper Pandya for this clash as the India all-rounder served a one-match ban for the team's slow over-rate in their final league match last year.
On the other hand, the absence of India bowling spearhead Bumrah was felt in the MI ranks as the right-arm pacer remains on a comeback trail from a back-related issue which has kept him sidelined so far this year.
Bumrah will miss the initial stages of this IPL and his absence will leave MI without their lethal weapon in the death overs, presenting the management with a headache to work with other options and strategies.
For CSK, Dhoni will be the cynosure of all eyes once again, having remained with the team since the inception of the IPL in 2008.
The CSK-MI rivalry has produced some of the IPL’s most iconic battles—Malinga vs Dhoni, Bravo vs Rohit, Tendulkar, Raina, Jadeja, Pandya. As both teams look to start their campaigns on a strong note, another fierce contest awaits.
Brief Scores:
MI:155/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 31 (25); Noor Ahmed 4/18)
CSK: 158/6 in 19.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 65*(45); Vignesh Puthur 3/32)
Playing XI:
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Satyanarayana Raju.