IPL 2025, CSK vs MI, Talking Point: The spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, and Ravindra Jadeja stifles Mumbai’s batting lineup. CSK move to third spot in points table.
Brief scores: MI 155/9 (Tilak Verma 31, Noor Ahmad 4/18) lose to CSK 158/6 (Rachin Ravindra 65 not out, Vignesh Puthur 3/32) by 4 wickets
Chennai Super Kings were off to a winning start in their IPL 2025 opening match against Mumbai Indians at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk in Chennai on Sunday. Chennai’s spinners took 5 for 70 to restrict Mumbai to 155/9 before their batters chased it down with five balls to spare.
Talking points: CSK spinners tighten the noose in the middle-overs
Even though Mumbai Indians were 52/3 by the end of powerplay, they had their best power hitters in Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma to maximise the team’s chances in the middle-overs. But CSK spinning trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad had other ideas. They bowled together in the middle-overs (from 7 to 15) and gave away just 58 runs in 9 overs and picked up three wickets of Tilak, SKY and Robin Minz.
The table below shows how CSK spinners choked the Mumbai in middle-overs (7 to 15) when all the three spinners were at work.
| Overs | Runs | Wickets | Runs per Over |
| 1-6 | 52 | 3 | 8.67 |
| 7-15 | 58 | 3 | 6.44 |
| 16-20 | 45 | 3 | 9.00 |
Ahmad shines as he picks up four on CSK debut
SKY was dismissed thanks to a lightning quick stumping by the veteran MS Dhoni for 26-ball 29 off Noor who bowled widish off the range of the batter and get him off balance. The other two spinners then piled on the pressure with Ashwin conceding just a run in the next over. Noor benefited from the choke as he took two wickets of Tilak and Minz to put Mumbai on the backfoot. Jadeja didn’t get a wicket, but he was bang on with his tight line and length. Noor took his fourth when he had Naman Dhir bowled around his legs. Overall, the middle-overs choke by the spinners, led by Noor, saw Mumbai losing the plot.
Read More: IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings squad complete analysis, Probable playing XI
Statistical Highlights
- Noor and Khaleel Ahmed took three wickets or more on debut with CSK. While Noor took 4/18, Khaleel bagged 3/29.
The three spinners rule
Jadeja, Ashwin and Noor bowled well in tandem, never letting the Mumbai batters free their arms. Their USP has been their difference in their spin quality that made Mumbai batters struggle to play them. While left-arm orthodox spinner Jadeja contained the batters with his wicket-to-wicket bowling, off-spinner Ashwin choked with his variations, while Chinaman Noor was difficult to read off his hand and the pitch. It was the perfect spin combo to rattle the strong batting unit of Mumbai.
The below table shows how CSK spinners dominated the bowling charts compared to their pacers.
| CSK | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Runs/Over | Runs/Wicket |
| Spinners | 11 | 70 | 5 | 6.36 | 14.00 |
| Pacers | 9 | 80 | 4 | 11.42 | 20.00 |
The way forward
CSK spinning trio lived up to the expectations in this match at their home ground. Noor, Jadeja and Ashwin know Chennai’s wicket from the back of their hands. However, it was heartwarming to see Noor adjust to Chennai’s wicket admirably and bag 4 wickets. He complements the duo of Jadeja-Ashwin brilliantly. If the trio keeps bowling to their strengths and on a wicket best suited to their style of bowling, oppositions would find it hard to get past them at Chennai, and beat CSK on their own den.
Read More: IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians squad complete analysis, Probable playing XI
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