New Delhi: 

On his CSK debut, Ahmad (4/18) dismantled Mumbai’s middle-order after Khaleel Ahmed (3/29) dismissed openers Rohit Sharma (0 off 4) and Ryan Rickelton (13 off 7) inside the powerplay. It meant MI could only hobble to 155/9 which CSK overhauled with five balls to spare.

Noor Ahmad’s penetrative spin bowling were complemented by matured knocks from Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad as Chennai Super Kings began their IPL 2025 campaign with a four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk Stadium on Sunday.

Clash of five-time champions:

CSK got early wickets to put Mumbai under pressure as Rohit flicked straight to Shivam Dube at mid-wicket off Khaleel, following which Rickelton’s cameo ended too.

On his return to CSK after 10 years, R Ashwin struck in his first over to remove Will Jacks, who offered a catch to Dube at mid-off as Mumbai slumped to 36 for three.

MI’s stand-in skipper Surykumar Yadav (29 off 26) and Tilak Varma (31 off 25) put together a 51-run partnership. But once MS Dhoni stumped Yadav off Ahmad, MI’s hopes of a big score evaporated.

Ahmad then ran through the middle-order, trapping Tilak with a googly two balls after dismissing Robin Minz.

Deepak Chahar 28 not out off 15 balls took Mumbai past the 150-run mark but the manner in which Rachi  and Ruturaj batted, it became pretty clear that they were 20-30 runs short.

But Mumbai still made a match of it as Puthur took wickets in the middke overs but it only delayed CSK’s win.

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians: 155 for 9 in 20 overs. (T Varma 31, S Yadav 29, D Chahar 28 not out; K Ahmed 3/29, Noor Ahmad 4/18).

CSK were always a step ahead in this clash between the most successful teams of the competition. They won the toss and decided to bowl on a typical sluggish Chepauk track.

Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten 65 off 45 balls anchored the home team’s run chase while skipper Gaikwad contributed 53 off 26 deliveries. Vignesh Puthur (3/29) gave CSK some nervy moments but it was only fleeting.

With the defeat, Mumbai maintained their opening match loss streak, having been unable to win the first match of the tournament since 2012.

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