IPL 2025: Noor's 4-18, Rachin's 65* Propel CSK to Four-Wicket Victory Over MI
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Synopsis
Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by four wickets in IPL 2025, thanks to Noor Ahmad's stellar bowling and Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 65. The match was held at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, marking a strong start for CSK in the tournament.
Key Takeaways
- Noor Ahmad starred with 4-18 in his debut match for CSK.
- Rachin Ravindra scored an impressive 65 not out to lead CSK's chase.
- CSK restricted MI to 155/9 in their innings.
- MI's Vignesh Puthur took 3-32 on his debut.
- CSK began their IPL 2025 campaign with a confident win.
Chennai, March 23 (NationPress) In the lead-up to the initial segment of the El Clasico in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, the Chennai Super Kings consistently appeared to be the dominant team, and the five-time champions confirmed their stature by achieving a four-wicket victory against the Mumbai Indians in the third match of the current tournament held at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
CSK's success was anchored by their new bowlers, with Noor Ahmad claiming impressive figures of 4-18 and Khaleel Ahmed contributing 3-29, restricting MI to 155/9 in their allotted 20 overs. During the chase, Gaikwad combined aggression and precision, striking six fours and three sixes, while reaching his fifty in just 22 balls, marking his fastest half-century in the tournament.
Despite losing wickets from the other end, Rachin Ravindra anchored the innings, scoring an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls, including two fours and four sixes, as CSK clinched a tense victory with five balls remaining. For MI, who haven't won their opening match of an IPL season since 2012, the standout performance came from debutant left-arm wrist-spinner Vignesh Puthur, who recorded 3-32.
On his debut for CSK, Noor showcased his skill by dismantling MI's batting order, achieving the best figures by a spinner from CSK against the five-time champions. Khaleel excelled during the power-play, putting MI on the back foot. Even with rebuilding efforts from Tilak Varma (31) and Suryakumar Yadav (29), MI struggled with their shot selection as CSK's spinners effectively curtailed the run flow during the middle overs.
It required a late cameo of 28 not out from Deepak Chahar to push MI past 150. Choosing to bowl first, CSK had a fantastic start, led by Khaleel's brilliance. He dismissed Rohit Sharma with an inswinger on stumps, sending him back for a four-ball duck. Ryan Rickelton managed three boundaries before falling to Khaleel for just 13 runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin made an impact in his first over for CSK after nearly a decade, dismissing Will Jacks who attempted to loft his carrom ball but ended up being caught at mid-off for 11. In the midst of the struggle, Suryakumar set the stage for MI’s resurgence with boundaries off Ashwin and Nathan Ellis, including a six off Khaleel.
Varma attempted to unsettle Ashwin immediately with back-to-back boundaries and lofted Ravindra Jadeja for six. Ashwin nearly had Suryakumar caught and bowled, but he was ultimately dismissed when he attempted to attack Noor, missing a turning delivery and getting stumped by MS Dhoni for 29.
Noor struck again in the 13th over, dismissing debutant Robin Minz who tried to break free but ended up holed out to long-off. Noor's second wicket came when he trapped Tilak lbw with a googly for 31, before clean bowling Naman Dhir for 17. After Ellis trapped Mitchell Santner lbw, Chahar helped finish MI's innings strongly by hitting Khaleel for four and six. Khaleel concluded his spell by dismissing Trent Boult and Chahar hit Ellis for six, allowing MI to surpass 150.
In pursuit of 156, Chahar struck early, dismissing Rahul Tripathi who top-edged a short ball to Rickleton in the second over. Gaikwad, batting at No. 3, effortlessly drove Trent Boult for two consecutive fours before pulling Chahar for six.
With debutant pacer Satyanarayana Raju giving width, Gaikwad capitalized, hammering boundaries through the off-side and hitting Mitchell Santner for six and two fours, as CSK concluded the power-play at 62/1. Gaikwad lofted Will Jacks for six and reached his fifty in just 22 balls. He was dismissed for 53 while trying a lofted drive against debutant Puthur, only to hole out to long-off.
Puthur, who had yet to play senior cricket for Kerala, secured another significant wicket as Shivam Dube holed out for nine after being deceived by a googly. Amidst the wickets, Ravindra, initially at 28 off 27 balls, shifted gears by dancing down the pitch and lofting Puthur for six. The young wrist spinner continued his impressive debut as Deepak Hooda failed to elevate the slog-sweep and was caught in the deep.
CSK faced difficulties as two quiet overs followed, and Sam Curran was bowled for four while attempting to attack Jacks. With 31 runs required from the last four overs, Ravindra Jadeja struck Boult for a four in a 10-run 17th over.
Ravindra reached his fifty in 42 balls by launching Puthur over mid-wicket for six, then sending another maximum over long-on. Although Jadeja was run out for 17, Ravindra concluded the chase in style by pulling Santner for six, delighting the crowd, which also witnessed MS Dhoni making an appearance without scoring, as CSK kicked off their campaign with a win.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 155/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 31, Suryakumar Yadav 29; Noor Ahmad 4-18, Khaleel Ahmed 3-29) lost to 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) by four wickets
