IPL 2025: Ravindra guides Chennai Super Kings to four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians

Rachin Ravindra and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s contrasting half-centuries guided Chennai Super Kings to a winning start in IPL Season 18. In a thrilling clash between two five-time champions, Chennai sneaked to a four-wicket win in the final over after a mid-innings collapse gave Mumbai a glimmer of hope. Mumbai posted a below-par 155 for nine on a good batting surface, which started to turn towards the end of the contest.

Debutant Vignesh Puthur had a memorable outing, triggering Chennai’s collapse by breaking the partnership and dismissing Gaikwad. From a commanding 78 for one, the hosts slumped, losing four wickets in quick succession while attempting big hits.

The 24-year-old Kerala left-arm wrist spinner claimed three of those wickets, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 32 in four overs.

Earlier, another young left-arm wrist spinner, Noor Ahmed (20), starred for Chennai. Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed struck early, removing Rohit Sharma, but Noor dismissed Suryakumar Yadav, thanks to a brilliant stumping from Dhoni, and Tilak Varma to stall Mumbai’s recovery.

Deepak Chahar’s late cameo gave Mumbai a glimmer of hope, but they still fell 25-30 runs short of a winning total.

Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten half-century steered Chennai Super Kings to a four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians on Sunday.

After a mid-innings wobble, Ravindra and Ravindra Jadeja steadied the chase, bringing the hosts within touching distance of the target. However, with just four runs needed, the pair suffered a terrible mix-up, resulting in Jadeja’s run-out.

Yet, the dismissal was met with the loudest cheers of the night—as the moment CSK fans had been waiting for finally arrived. MS Dhoni walked in to finish the job. The New Zealand clobbered the first ball of the final over to win by five balls to spare and finish with 65 off 45 balls.

Chennai Super Kings are losing their way with poor shot selection as Vignesh Puthur tightens the screws, picking up three wickets in a miserly three-over spell. From a commanding 78 for one, the hosts have slumped, losing four wickets while attempting big hits.

With 37 runs needed from 30 balls, strike rotation is the smarter play. However, the urge to finish the chase quickly—and perhaps boost the net run rate that cost them a playoff spot last season—seems to be influencing their approach.

Despite the wobble, CSK still have depth in their batting, with MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin waiting in the wings. At the crease, Rachin Ravindra is holding one end up with a patient knock.

After 15 overs, CSK are 119 for five.

It was a debut to remember for Kerala’s left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur. The 24-year-old struck twice in two overs to bring Mumbai Indians back into the game.

Ruturaj Gaikwad had been in blazing form, reaching his fastest IPL half-century off just 22 balls. But he must be kicking himself after attempting a six when caution was the smarter play. Despite his dismissal, the CSK skipper had already put his team firmly on course to chase down the target.

In Puthur’s next over, Shivam Dube also fell trying to clear the long-on boundary, caught at the rope. At the halfway mark, Chennai are 96 for three.

What’s the secret to Chennai’s success? Mind games and a fresh game plan to catch their rivals off guard.

Chasing an under-par total, the Super Kings introduced impact sub Rahul Tripathi to open alongside Rachin Ravindra. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, a regular opener, shifted down the order—an aggressive move that could have put CSK on the brink of victory with a strong start. However, the experiment didn’t yield the desired result.

Gaikwad, though, has looked in ominous touch, racing to 42 not out and guiding CSK to 62 for one at the end of the powerplay. At the other end, Ravindra is on 16 not out.

The pitch has shown some variable bounce, with the odd ball keeping low and others holding up slightly. But with Mumbai’s attack lacking experience— Mitchell Santner being their only real threat — this pair should have little trouble steering CSK towards victory.

A late cameo from Deepak Chahar against his former team gave Mumbai Indians something to defend after Noor Ahmed’s four-wicket haul restricted the visitors to a below-par 155 for nine in their IPL opener against Chennai Super Kings—the second match of Sunday’s double-header.

In the clash between two five-time champions, Mumbai, eager to turn things around after two tough seasons, were hoping for early momentum and a strong start. But those hopes were quickly dashed as Rohit Sharma fell in the first over on what was a good batting pitch.

Khaleel Ahmed followed up with another breakthrough, and Ravichandran Ashwin—back in CSK colours for the first time since 2015—struck in his first over to leave Mumbai struggling at 36 for three. Stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav, leading the side in Hardik Pandya’s absence due to a one-match ban for last season’s slow over-rate, stitched together a crucial 49-run stand with Tilak Varma to steady the innings.

However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s lightning-fast stumping of Suryakumar triggered a collapse, and Noor struck in the next over to remove Varma.

With Mumbai restricted to 155, Chennai will back themselves to chase down the target comfortably.

Dhoni’s sharp reflexes and young spinner Noor Ahmed’s guile have Mumbai in a spin. The 43-year-old veteran wicketkeeper was lightning-quick behind the stumps, whipping off the bails to dismiss Mumbai skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who missed a big drive off Noor.

The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Noor, who has claimed three wickets in two overs, has kept Mumbai under pressure, with Noor removing Tilak Varma and Robin Minz to leave them struggling at 96 for six in 13 overs.

Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed’s double breakthrough in his first two overs put Mumbai on the back foot. Much was expected from Rohit Sharma, who had scored a century in their previous clash, but the former skipper fell for a duck, triggering a huge roar from the Chennai fans.

Ravichandran Ashwin, back in CSK colours after nearly a decade, struck in his first over, dismissing Will Jacks and leaving Mumbai in a spin. The pitch hasn’t posed any real concerns, and Mumbai could have been in deeper trouble if Sam Curran had held his ground at the boundary. Instead, the England all-rounder rushed in, only to see the ball sail over his head for a six off Tilak Varma.

After eight overs, Mumbai are 66 for three, with Suryakumar Yadav on 25 and Varma on 15. This is key pair for Mumbai and Chennai will be hoping to end the breewing partnership.

Chennai skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to bowl against Mumbai Indians.

“I Don't know how the pitch will play, hope to adapt as the game goes on,” Gaikwad explained his decision to bow. “Prep has been good, few intl players returning after Champions Trophy. Young wk coming back as well (Dhoni). I've been playing here for a while, enjoyed it.”

For Suryakumar Yadav, the loss of toss seemed to have gone according to his plan.

“Would have batted first as there's no dew with wind is what we've observed. The team had a good pre-season camp in Mumbai,” the stand-in skipper said.

Teams

Chennai Super Kings

Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis and Khaleel Ahmed. Impact player options: Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shaikh Rasheed.

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult and  Satyanarayana Raju. Impact player options: Vignesh Puthur, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Karn Sharma.