Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were on top in the much-awaited El Clasico encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by four wickets in the match played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
The victory was primarily thanks to top bowling efforts from CSK's Noor Ahmad (4-18) and Khaleel Ahmed (3-29), who kept MI under wraps to a modest score of 155/9 from their 20 allotted overs.
CSK's pursuit was led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose aggression was combined with exquisite timing as he hammered six fours and three sixes in a 50 that came off only 22 deliveries, his fastest half-century in the tournament. Even as wickets fell at the other end, Rachin Ravindra remained solid and guided CSK to victory with a calm 65 not out off 45 balls, with two fours and four sixes. CSK completed their chase with five balls remaining.
For MI, who have not won their first match of an IPL season since 2012, the best performer was left-arm wrist-spinner debutant Vignesh Puthur, whose 3-32 provided the team with a glimmer of hope.
Noor, in his CSK debut, bowled an excellent spell, taking the best spinner figures by a CSK bowler against MI. Khaleel's initial breakthroughs during the powerplay also played a key role in keeping MI on the back foot. Even with a courageous fightback by Tilak Varma (31) and Suryakumar Yadav (29), MI struggled with shot choice, as CSK's spinners dominated the game in the middle overs. Deepak Chahar put the finishing touches with a cameo of 28 not out off 15 balls, which enabled MI to cross the 150-mark.
Choosing to bowl first, CSK started the innings off well, thanks to Khaleel's accuracy with the new ball. He got rid of Rohit Sharma for a duck in the first over with an inswinger that had him flick straight to mid-wicket. Khaleel then followed up by getting Ryan Rickelton, who scored 13, trapped as he misjudged a ball and played on to his stumps.
Ravichandran Ashwin struck in his first over for CSK, taking a wicket when Will Jacks attempted to loft his carrom ball but could not muster power, being caught at mid-off for 11. Suryakumar Yadav's grit kept MI in the running, scoring a couple of boundaries off Ashwin and Nathan Ellis, before dispatching Khaleel for a six.
Varma, too, started gaining pace, reverse-sweeping Ashwin for consecutive boundaries and lofting Ravindra Jadeja for a six. CSK's spinners were on top, though, with Ashwin almost dismissing Suryakumar off a caught-and-bowled opportunity that was missed. Suryakumar got out when he tried to launch an attack against Noor and was stumped by MS Dhoni for 29.
Noor's brilliance continued, as he dismissed debutant Robin Minz and then trapped Varma plumb in front for 31. Noor’s spell also saw the downfall of Naman Dhir (17), while Khaleel and Ellis cleaned up the tail to leave MI’s innings at 155/9.
During the chase, CSK lost Rahul Tripathi early, who top-edged a short ball from Deepak Chahar. Gaikwad, however, was in top form, driving Trent Boult for two successive fours and pulling Chahar for a six. He exploited debutant Satyanarayana Raju's loose bowling, slapping through the off-side with ease. Gaikwad carried his rampage against Santner, hitting him for six and two fours, before lofting Will Jacks for another six.
Gaikwad brought up his fifty in just 22 balls but fell shortly after for 53, attempting a lofted drive against Puthur and getting caught at long-off. Puthur, who had a promising debut, continued to impress as he dismissed Shivam Dube for 9. Despite the setbacks, Ravindra, who was at 28 off 27 balls, accelerated his innings with a six off Puthur, before launching him for another maximum.
Puthur's dream first-night performance was still going strong when he dismissed Deepak Hooda, who couldn't get past the deep on his slog-sweep. The needed runs were mounting as CSK's chase was tense, but Ravindra stayed strong. The pressure was let off with a 10-run over by Boult, and Ravindra reached his half-century in 42 balls courtesy of another six against Puthur.
Despite Jadeja being run out for 17, Ravindra finished the chase with panache, hoicking Santner for a six to give CSK a heart-stopping four-wicket victory.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians: 155/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 31, Suryakumar Yadav 29; Noor Ahmad 4-18, Khaleel Ahmed 3-29)
Chennai Super Kings: 158/6 in 19.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 65* not out, Ruturaj Gaikwad 53; Vignesh Puthur 3-32, Deepak Chahar 1-18)
Outcome: Chennai Super Kings won by 4 wickets.
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