Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2025 Match Preview: CSK Enters With Home Advantage As MI Faces Early-season Challenges

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians: The Big Picture

• Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) are the most successful IPL franchises, with five titles each.
• A new chapter in this rivalry begins as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya take over captaincy roles.
• CSK narrowly missed the playoffs in IPL 2024, while MI finished at the bottom of the table.
• Hardik Pandya will miss this game due to an over-rate offense, with Suryakumar Yadav stepping in as MI’s stand-in captain.
• MI’s squad is further weakened by Jasprit Bumrah’s injury, which is expected to keep him out until April.
• History does not favour MI, as they last won their opening match in 2012.

CSK’s Spin Fortress

• The game will take place at spin-friendly Chepauk, CSK’s stronghold.
• CSK has strengthened its spin attack with R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad.
• Noor Ahmad’s ability to turn the ball both ways at high speed could prove crucial in these conditions.
• MS Dhoni’s presence continues to electrify fans, and a packed Chepauk is expected on match day.

New Loyalties, Familiar Faces

• Deepak Chahar, who has played all of his IPL matches under Dhoni’s leadership, will face his former team for the first time.
• Chahar is set to form a new-ball partnership with Trent Boult for MI.
• Mitchell Santner, another former CSK player, will also represent MI this season.
• Young seamer Anshul Kamboj has moved from MI to CSK and could replace Chahar in CSK’s attack.

Chennai Super Kings (probable XI):

1. Devon Conway / Rachin Ravindra
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt)
3. Rahul Tripathi
4. Deepak Hooda / Vijay Shankar
5. Shivam Dube
6. Sam Curran
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. MS Dhoni (wk)
9. R Ashwin
10. Noor Ahmad
11. Matheesha Pathirana
12. Khaleel Ahmed / Anshul Kamboj

CSK has a full-strength squad, with selection dilemmas in batting and all-rounder slots.

Mumbai Indians (probable XI):

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Ryan Rickelton (wk)
3. Tilak Varma
4. Suryakumar Yadav (capt)
5. Naman Dhir
6. Robin Minz
7. Mitchell Santner
8. Corbin Bosch / Mujeeb Ur Rahman
9. Deepak Chahar
10. Karn Sharma
11. Trent Boult
12. Satyanarayana Raju / Ashwani Kumar

MI may introduce South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch to fill Hardik’s role or opt for Mujeeb Ur Rahman as an extra spinner. Satyanarayana Raju, an emerging talent from the Andhra Premier League, is likely to be used as an Impact Player.

Key Questions

• MI lacks high-profile overseas stars like Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga, raising concerns over depth.
• Will Bosch be the right fit to replace Hardik Pandya’s contributions?
• Can Noor Ahmad make an impact in his debut season with CSK?
• Will Suryakumar Yadav break his poor run of form at Chepauk?

Key Stats

• Trent Boult has dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad three times in 26 IPL balls while conceding only 23 runs.
• Suryakumar Yadav has struggled against Ravindra Jadeja, scoring just 45 runs off 59 balls at a strike rate below 77.
• R Ashwin is the leading wicket-taker at Chepauk in IPL history with 50 scalps at an economy of 6.26.
• CSK has dominated MI recently, winning five of their last six encounters, including the last three in a row.

Pitch and Conditions

• A slow, spin-friendly pitch is expected at Chepauk.
• Both teams could opt for three frontline spinners.
• The new IPL rule allowing teams to change the ball after the 10th over in the second innings may reduce the impact of dew.

Upcoming Fixtures

CSK:

• vs RCB (March 28, Chepauk)
• vs RR (March 31, Guwahati)
• vs DC (April 5, Chepauk)

MI:

• vs GT (March 29, Ahmedabad)
• vs KKR (March 31, Mumbai)
• vs LSG (April 4, Lucknow)