The opening match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 commenced at Chepauk Stadium, where Chennai Super Kings (CSK) met Mumbai Indians (MI). Chennai Super Kings won the match by four wickets against Mumbai Indians in a familiar game pattern, although Mumbai Indians extended their record of season-opening losses for the 13th year running.
CSK’s Clinical ChaseLed by Rachin Ravindra
Mumbai placed first at bat yet faced difficulties from CSK’s tightly controlled bowling strategies. Noor Ahmad delivered an exceptional 4-wicket performance that struck Mumbai Indians’ middle order for 18 runs. The left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed demonstrated excellent performance in the match by taking three wickets for a total of twenty-nine runs. Mumbai’s top-order batting collapse produced a meager score of 155/9 in their 20 overs, as the pitch normally favors chasing teams.
CSK’s response was commanding. The CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad started the chase with dominance by hitting 53 runs from 26 balls. The unbeaten 65 runs by Rachin Ravindra through 45 balls helped CSK triumph with five remaining balls to play. The opening round stats from Vignesh Puthur (3/32) were not enough to compensate for the inadequate bowling performance from the Mumbai Indians throughout the match.
Mumbai’s Opening-Day Woes Continue
For the 13th consecutive season, the Mumbai Indians stumbled at the very first hurdle. Their last opening-match victory came in 2012, a statistic that has baffled fans and analysts alike. Over the years, MI has seen multiple captaincy changes, squad revamps, and even title-winning campaigns, yet their first-match blues remain a persistent enigma.
This streak is particularly ironic given MI’s stature as five-time IPL champions.
The franchise has historically been a slow starter, preferring to build momentum as the tournament progresses. However, their repeated failures in opening games have now turned into a significant talking point.
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Rohit Sharma’s Unwanted Record
Former captain Rohit Sharma established an unsatisfactory record of eighteen IPL ducks during the tournament, which equaled Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik for most instances of going without a score. MI suffered even more damage after Rohit Sharma got out early against CSK because the team’s batting order below him became vulnerable.
A Rivalry Shifting in CSK’s Favor
MI leads the overall match count against CSK (20-18); however, the Chennai side has dominated their rivalling meetings by winning six contests out of their last seven matchups. The experienced players at CSK have joined forces with young performers Noor Ahmad and Rachin Ravindra to create a winning strategy as MI searches for stability in their line-up.
In IPL 2025, both teams aim to deal with past inconsequential results as Mumbai battles to regain speed while the Chennai Sunners want to expand their already successful performance.
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