CSK vs MI, IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won by four wickets against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their third match of the IPL 2025 on Sunday, March 23.
CSK vs MI: Chennai Super Kings Edge Out Mumbai Indians
Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and decided to bowl first on a fresh pitch. In the first over, Khaleel Ahmed bowled three dot balls to Rohit Sharma and then got him out on the fourth ball. Khaleel dismissed debutant Ryan Rickelton in his second over. Ravichandran Ashwin, playing his first match for CSK, took the wicket of Will Jacks in his first over.
Mumbai Indians lost three wickets in the first five overs, putting them in a tough spot. However, stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma formed a partnership, adding 51 runs off 36 balls to stabilize the innings. But Noor Ahmad turned the game around for Chennai, taking four wickets in the middle overs to bring them back into the match.
From 87/3 in the 11th over, Mumbai slipped to 128/8 by the 18th over. A late burst from Deepak Chahar (28* off 15 balls) helped them reach 155/9 by the end of their innings. Noor Ahmad was the standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 4/18 in four overs.
Chennai Super Kings lost Rahul Tripathi early in the second over, but Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra put together a 67-run partnership off 37 balls. Gaikwad scored 53 off 26 balls, while Rachin played a supporting role.
Mumbai debutant Vignesh Puthur dismissed Gaikwad and also took the wickets of Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda, giving Mumbai a glimmer of hope. Sam Curran was also dismissed, leaving Chennai needing 40 runs from 35 balls.
Rachin Ravindra remained calm, and with support from Ravindra Jadeja, they added 36 runs off 27 balls. MS Dhoni came to the crease after Jadeja was run out with just 4 runs left. Rachin then hit a six off Mitchell Santner to seal the win, finishing unbeaten on 65 off 45 balls, with Chennai winning with five balls to spare.
Meanwhile, social media has been buzzing with reactions from the fans. Check out the reactions below:
Stumping in 0.12 seconds. At 43, Thala is still the king behind the stumps. Today's best. #Dhoni #CSKvsMI #MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/Fg77XydQk9
— Priyank (@dypriyank) March 23, 2025
#CSKvsMI
Thala and Chahar after the match: pic.twitter.com/wuKAk4flm3— 🇮🇳 رومانا (@RomanaRaza) March 23, 2025
Best part of the match 🤣🤣🤣#CSKvMI #CSKvsMI pic.twitter.com/xInwMb68TF
— Ex Bhakt (@exbhakt_) March 23, 2025
Unbelievable 🤯#CSKvsMI #MI #CSK #Dhoni pic.twitter.com/P8wSBjIEbO
— Sarcasm (@sarcastic_us) March 23, 2025
Cute moment of Thala 🥹
Bowler appealed for LBW & ask Dhoni to take review Dhoni smiled & said to Ruturaj to take review 😂❤️#CSKvsMI #MSDhoni𓃵
— 𝖩𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝕏 (@mahixcavi7) March 23, 2025
For the first time in cricket history, only one player is batting on the field. #CSKvsMI pic.twitter.com/NUQinQxDZ7
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) March 23, 2025
Dhoni entrance
Deepak chahar cheering for Thala#CSKvsMI pic.twitter.com/2D9aJ0onGx
— Sarcastic_sadhu (@SadhuSarcastic) March 23, 2025
Ruturaj Gaikwad Reflects on the Match and Team’s Performance
After winning the match, speaking at the post-match conference, Ruturaj Gaikwad confessed that he was nervous after his dismissal and wanted the team to be more cautious. He said:
“Right after I got out, I was walking, and there are often times when you end up getting the match slightly closer but happy to be on the winning side. Would have loved to be more clinical but that’s how the game is.”
Further, Ruturaj also revealed the reason behind he switched to number 3 in batting order. He said:
“That was required by the team. That gives our new team much more balance. Rahul Tripathi can go out and express himself at the top. I am someone who can play both sides of the game so really happy to change my position.”
Lauding the spin trio of Noor Ahmad, R Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja as well as pacer Khaleel Ahmed. He said: “The spinners were right on point. Right after the auction when we had these 3 in our team, the one thing we were all very excited was to see them play together at Chepauk. It was a good start.
“Khaleel has been doing well in the IPL since last 2-3 years now. He is someone with experience. Noor definitely is an X-factor and that’s why we wanted him in the team. Good to have Ash bhai as well.”
At the end, Ruturaj Gaikwad mentioned MS Dhoni, saying the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman is in better shape this year and hitting more sixes in the nets. He said:
“He is still the same. He is more fitter this year. He is hitting more sixes than the rest this year. He’s still looking young.”
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