Mar 23, 2025

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians | Match 3 report - IPL 2025

The “El Clasico” of the IPL delivered again! Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started their TATA IPL 2025 season with a thrilling 4-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI). The exciting Match 3 took place at CSK’s home ground, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on March 23, 2025. CSK chased down MI’s score with just 5 balls left.

The star of the match for CSK was Afghanistan’s young mystery spinner, Noor Ahmad. On his CSK debut, he was named Player of the Match for his incredible bowling figures of 4 wickets for just 18 runs. His spell was key to keeping MI to a manageable score.

This win was a great start for the five-time champions, CSK, while for MI, it unfortunately extended their streak to 13 straight losses in their opening IPL match, a trend going all the way back to 2012.

Quick Scorecard

Category	Details
Teams	Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians
Venue	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Date	March 23, 2025
Result	Chennai Super Kings won by 4 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Mumbai Indians Innings	155/9 (20 overs)
Chennai Super Kings Innings	158/6 (19.1 overs)
Top Performer (MI Batting)	Tilak Varma (31 runs), Deepak Chahar (28* runs)
Top Performer (CSK Bowling)	Noor Ahmad (4/18), Khaleel Ahmed (3/29)
Top Performer (CSK Batting)	Rachin Ravindra (65* runs), Ruturaj Gaikwad (53 runs)
Top Performer (MI Bowling)	Vignesh Puthur (3/32)
Player of the Match	Noor Ahmad (CSK)

Toss and Game Plan

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and chose to bowl first. He considered the usual evening conditions at Chepauk, expecting dew later and the pitch to slow down. Gaikwad mentioned it was their first game on the pitch this season, so they wanted to see how it played and chase accordingly.

With MI’s regular captain Hardik Pandya banned for the match, Suryakumar Yadav stepped in to lead them. He said MI had a good camp and were ready. Even though CSK chose to bowl, Suryakumar stated he was “good with batting first,” although some reports suggested MI might have preferred to chase.

Team Line-ups:

CSK Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed. (Overseas: Rachin Ravindra, Sam Curran, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis. Noor Ahmad made his CSK debut.)

MI Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Satyanarayana Raju. (Overseas: Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult. Robin Minz & Satyanarayana Raju were debutants. Vignesh Puthur later came in as an Impact Player for his IPL debut.)

Mumbai Indians’ Innings: Early Shocks & Spin Trouble (155/9 in 20 overs)

Powerplay Problems: Khaleel & Ashwin Strike (MI 52/3 in 6 overs)

MI’s innings got off to a terrible start. Khaleel Ahmed, on his CSK debut, dismissed former MI captain Rohit Sharma for a duck in the first over. Rohit’s pull shot went straight to Shivam Dube. Khaleel struck again, bowling Ryan Rickelton (13).

The pressure mounted when Ravichandran Ashwin, returning to CSK after a decade, got a wicket with his very first ball, dismissing Will Jacks (11), caught by Dube. These early wickets left MI at 36/3. By the end of the 6-over powerplay, MI were 52/3.

Middle Overs Mayhem: Noor Ahmad’s Magic! (Overs 7-15)

Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 26) and Tilak Varma (31 off 25) tried to rebuild with a 51-run partnership. But the game changed when CSK debutant Noor Ahmad came on to bowl.

Noor “wove magic” and took crucial wickets:

Suryakumar Yadav was stumped by a “lightning-fast” MS Dhoni off a “drifting googly.”
Tilak Varma was trapped LBW by a googly.
He also dismissed debutant Robin Minz (3) and Naman Dhir (17).

Noor Ahmad finished his amazing debut spell with 4 wickets for 18 runs in 4 overs – his best in IPL and the best by any CSK spinner against MI. At the 15-over mark, MI were struggling at 110/6.

Death Overs Push: Deepak Chahar’s Cameo (Overs 16-20)

With MI in trouble, their bowler Deepak Chahar (not to be confused with CSK’s former player of the same name) played a vital unbeaten knock of 28 runs from just 15 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes). This helped MI reach 155/9. Suryakumar Yadav later felt they were “15-20 runs short.”

During the final overs, Nathan Ellis got Mitchell Santner (11), and Khaleel Ahmed picked up his third wicket, Trent Boult (1). MI scored 45 runs in the last 5 overs. Noor Ahmad praised Dhoni’s stumping as “out of this world.”

MI Batting Scorecard:

Batsman	How Out	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Rohit Sharma	c Shivam Dube b Khaleel Ahmed	0	4	0	0	0.00
Ryan Rickelton (wk)	b Khaleel Ahmed	13	7	3	0	185.71
Will Jacks	c Shivam Dube b Ashwin	11	7	2	0	157.14
Suryakumar Yadav(c)	st Dhoni b Noor Ahmad	29	26	2	1	111.54
Tilak Varma	lbw b Noor Ahmad	31	25	2	2	124.00
Robin Minz	c Ravindra Jadeja b Noor Ahmad	3	9	0	0	33.33
Naman Dhir	b Noor Ahmad	17	12	1	0	141.67
Mitchell Santner	lbw b Nathan Ellis	11	13	1	0	84.62
Deepak Chahar	not out	28	15	2	2	186.67
Trent Boult	c Ruturaj Gaikwad b Khaleel Ahmed	1	2	0	0	50.00
Satyanarayana Raju	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
Extras	(b 4, lb 1, w 4, nb 1)	10
Total	(9 wkts, 20 Ov)	155

Fall of Wickets (MI): 1-0 (Rohit Sharma), 2-21 (Ryan Rickelton), 3-36 (Will Jacks), 4-87 (Suryakumar Yadav), 5-95 (Robin Minz), 6-96 (Tilak Varma), 7-118 (Naman Dhir), 8-128 (Mitchell Santner), 9-141 (Trent Boult).

CSK Bowling Figures:

Bowler	O	R	W	NB	WD	Econ
Khaleel Ahmed	4	29	3	1	0	7.20
Sam Curran	1	13	0	0	0	13.00
Nathan Ellis	4	38	1	0	1	9.50
Ravichandran Ashwin	4	31	1	0	0	7.80
Ravindra Jadeja	3	21	0	0	0	7.00
Noor Ahmad	4	18	4	0	3	4.50

Chennai Super Kings’ Chase: Gaikwad’s Fire, Ravindra’s Calm (158/6 in 19.1 overs)

Powerplay Power: Gaikwad on Fire! (CSK 62/1 in 6 overs)

CSK’s chase for 156 started with a small hiccup. Rahul Tripathi, who came in as an Impact Substitute to open, was out for just 2 runs, caught by MI’s keeper Ryan Rickelton off Deepak Chahar.

Despite this, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, batting at No. 3, launched a stunning counter-attack with Rachin Ravindra. Gaikwad was in top form, racing to his fastest IPL fifty in just 22 balls! He smashed 53 runs off only 26 balls (6 fours, 3 sixes). He hit some beautiful shots, including an inside-out six off Will Jacks and took on debutant pacer Satyanarayana Raju. By the end of the powerplay, CSK were flying at 62/1, with Gaikwad on 42 off 19 balls.

Middle Overs Wobble: Debutant Puthur Shines for MI (Overs 7-15)

MI fought back in the middle overs, mainly thanks to their debutant left-arm wrist-spinner Vignesh Puthur, who came in as an Impact Substitute for Rohit Sharma. Puthur got the big wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad (53) in his first over, caught at long-off.

Puthur (3/32 in 4 overs) didn’t stop there. He also dismissed Shivam Dube (9) and Deepak Hooda (3). This triple strike caused a mini-collapse for CSK. Sam Curran (4) was then bowled by Will Jacks. Through all this, Rachin Ravindra played calmly, anchoring the innings and reaching his half-century. CSK moved from 62/1 to around 121/5 during this phase.

The Exciting Finish: Ravindra Takes CSK Home! (Overs 16-19.1)

With 31 runs needed off the last 24 balls, Rachin Ravindra found a good partner in Ravindra Jadeja (17). Ravindra then hit two crucial sixes off Vignesh Puthur in the 18th over, scoring 15 runs and swinging the game back to CSK.

There was some drama when Jadeja was run out with just 4 runs needed. The Chepauk crowd went wild as MS Dhoni walked out, but he faced only two dot balls. Fittingly, Rachin Ravindra (unbeaten on 65 off 45 balls - 2 fours, 4 sixes) sealed the win. He hit a six off Mitchell Santner on the first ball of the 20th over (19.1 overs) to give CSK a memorable victory.

CSK Batting Scorecard:

Batsman	How Out	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Rachin Ravindra	not out	65	45	2	4	144.44
Rahul Tripathi	c Rickelton b D Chahar	2	3	0	0	66.67
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)	c Will Jacks b Vignesh Puthur	53	26	6	3	203.85
Shivam Dube	c Tilak Varma b Vignesh Puthur	9	7	0	1	128.57
Deepak Hooda	c Satyanarayana Raju b Vignesh Puthur	3	5	0	0	60.00
Sam Curran	b Will Jacks	4	9	0	0	44.44
Ravindra Jadeja	run out (D Chahar/Rickelton)	17	18	1	0	94.44
MS Dhoni (wk)	not out	0	2	0	0	0.00
Extras	(w 5)	5
Total	(6 wkts, 19.1 Ov)	158

Fall of Wickets (CSK): 1-11 (Rahul Tripathi), 2-78 (Ruturaj Gaikwad), 3-95 (Shivam Dube), 4-107 (Deepak Hooda), 5-116 (Sam Curran), 6-152 (Ravindra Jadeja).

MI Bowling Figures:

Bowler	O	R	W	WD	Econ
Trent Boult	3	27	0	1	9.00
Deepak Chahar	2	18	1	0	9.00
Satyanarayana Raju	1	13	0	1	13.00
Mitchell Santner	2.1	24	0	0	11.10
Will Jacks	4	32	1	3	8.00
Vignesh Puthur	4	32	3	0	8.00
Naman Dhir	3	12	0	0	4.00

Stars of the “El Clasico”

Player of the Match: Noor Ahmad (CSK): The young Afghan spinner was the star with his 4/18. His variations, especially the googlies that got Suryakumar Yadav (stumped) and Tilak Varma (LBW), crippled MI’s middle order.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK): The CSK captain’s explosive 53 off 26 balls (his fastest IPL fifty) set the tone for the chase.
Rachin Ravindra (CSK): Played a calm and match-winning unbeaten 65* off 45 balls, guiding CSK home under pressure, especially with crucial sixes in the 18th over.
Vignesh Puthur (MI): On his IPL debut, the young left-arm wrist-spinner impressed with 3/32, taking key wickets of Gaikwad, Dube, and Hooda.
Khaleel Ahmed (CSK) & Deepak Chahar (MI): Khaleel’s 3/29 gave CSK early breakthroughs. MI’s Deepak Chahar’s late 28* helped MI post a fighting score and he also took an early wicket.

Turning Points

Noor Ahmad’s Spell (especially Suryakumar’s Stumping): This broke MI’s batting momentum.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Powerplay Attack: His quick fifty put CSK ahead in the chase early on.
Vignesh Puthur’s Triple-Wicket Spell: Brought MI back into the game by causing a CSK mini-collapse.
Rachin Ravindra’s Calm Finish: His composure and crucial sixes ensured CSK won.

Impact Player Review

CSK’s Impact Player: Rahul Tripathi (replaced Khaleel Ahmed)
- Opened the batting but was out for 2. Low Impact.
MI’s Impact Player: Vignesh Puthur (replaced Rohit Sharma)
- Took 3 crucial wickets (3/32) on his IPL debut. High Impact.

MI’s use of the Impact Player was much more effective, as Puthur’s bowling significantly changed the game for a period.

What They Said:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK Captain): Praised his spinners (Noor, Ashwin, Jadeja) and Khaleel Ahmed. Called Noor an “X-factor.” Said MS Dhoni is “more fitter this year… still looking young.”
Suryakumar Yadav (MI Stand-in Captain): Admitted MI were “15-20 runs short” but praised his team’s fight. Proud of debutant Vignesh Puthur. Said the pitch was “sticky” and Gaikwad “took the game away.”
Noor Ahmad (Player of the Match, CSK): Felt “special to play here in IPL.” Said Suryakumar’s wicket was “special” and Dhoni’s stumping “out of this world” and a “great support.”
Rachin Ravindra (CSK): Said MI “made it difficult for us… choked us a little in the middle.” Praised Gaikwad: “Rutu was amazing, he struck it at 200 without really trying.” Noted the pitch “did not have much turn but it was sticky.”

Final Word: CSK Win, MI’s Opening Troubles Continue

CSK started their IPL 2025 with a classic win at home, showcasing their spin strength and calm chasing. Noor Ahmad was brilliant on debut.

For MI, their streak of losing opening IPL matches continues. They were about 15-20 runs short and struggled against quality spin. While Vignesh Puthur was a bright spot, their bowling couldn’t stop Gaikwad’s early attack.

CSK look like strong contenders again. MI need to address their early tournament form quickly. The performance of young spinners like Noor Ahmad and Vignesh Puthur shows how valuable they can be in this tournament.