Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opted to bowl first after winning the toss against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2025 showdown at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The decision quickly paid off as Khaleel Ahmed set the tone with two quick strikes, rattling MI’s top order. Khaleel struck in the very first over, dismissing Rohit Sharma for a duck.
The MI veteran flicked a delivery straight to Shivam Dube at midwicket, marking his 18th duck in IPL history—equaling Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik for the most ducks in the league. It was also Rohit’s fourth duck against CSK, a statistic that reflects his struggles against the “Yellow Brigade.” In his next over, Khaleel cleaned up Ryan Rickelton for 13 off 7, further pushing MI on the back foot.
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CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad brought in Ravichandran Ashwin early, and the experienced spinner made an immediate impact. In his first over, Ashwin dismissed Will Jacks for 11, attempting an ambitious shot that ended up as a simple catch for Dube behind mid-off. Ashwin’s sharp turn and clever variations kept MI’s batters wary.
How’s that for a start #CSK fans? 💛
Khaleel Ahmed strikes twice in the powerplay with huge wickets of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton 💪
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 23, 2025
Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav took charge, aiming to stabilize the innings. Varma showed positive intent, smashing Ashwin for consecutive boundaries to inject some momentum. However, MI faced a notable setback with the absence of Hardik Pandya, who is serving a ban, and Jasprit Bumrah, still working on his match fitness.
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Suryakumar, the team’s T20I skipper, is leading MI in Pandya’s absence, with Rohit providing support on the field. CSK’s disciplined start and strategic bowling changes have left MI needing a significant recovery to post a competitive total.
