Chennai Super Kings will face arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in their first match of IPL 2025 on Sunday (March 23) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Ruturaj Gaikwad -led side, which failed to qualify for IPL playoffs last year, would like to get the better of the Mumbai Indians in front of home fans and make a memorable start in the new season of the world’s richest franchise cricket league. Unlike the Mumbai Indians, CSK will have a full squad available for selection, but due to the presence of multiple star players, they have a problem of plenty to choose from.
Captain Gaikwad, after topping the run scorers list last season, will open the innings once again, but it will be interesting to see who out of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway partners him. Going by the current form, Rachin seems to be an obvious choice, but Conway’s IPL record for CSK is magnificent, and it will be very hard to neglect him.
Also read: MI’s likely playing XI against CSK
Ajinkya Rahane batted at No. 3 for CSK in IPL 2024, but this time they have the option to choose between Rahul Tripathi , Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar. All three are quality Indian players and can be a great addition to the top order. Shivam Dube was excellent for CSK as a No. 4 batter last season, and he is all set to continue at the same position.
In the IPL 2025 mega auction, CSK signed England all-rounder Sam Curran , who in the last couple of years has improved his batting a lot, which is why there is a high possibility that he could be seen batting at No. 5.
For the lower middle-order and finisher role, CSK have the trio of Ravindra Jadeja , MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin .
Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who was retained for Rs 13 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, will lead the team’s fast bowling attack and will have uncapped Indian pacer Anshul Kamboj and left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed for support.
For the match against Mumbai Indians in Chennai, where spinners usually get more assistance than any other venue, CSK could unleash Noor Ahmed as well. The premier Afghanistan spinner was signed for Rs 10 crore by the Chennai-based franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.
CSK’s likely playing XI for the IPL 2025 match against the Mumbai Indians: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Impact players: Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Andre Siddarth, Mukesh Choudhary