2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by MI in their IPL 2025 match vs CSK ft. Vignesh Puthur's usage

The Mumbai Indians (MI) fell to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by four wickets in Match 3 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, March 23. Suryakumar Yadav and Co. were in the contest at times during the second half of the chase but were playing catch-up for most of the encounter.

Mumbai, who were without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, entered the match as the clear underdogs. While they put up a fight, it's arguable that they could've done a much better job from a tactical perspective.

On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by MI in their IPL 2025 match against CSK.

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#3 Mistake - Suryakumar Yadav delayed Vignesh Puthur's final over

Suryakumar Yadav held back Puthur's last over [Image: iplt20.com]

Vignesh Puthur, making his IPL debut, immediately made an impact by dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad, who seemed to be in sensational nick. Soon after, the left-arm wrist-spinner forced Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda to hole out on the boundary, bringing MI back into the game.

However, with the net run rate hovering around the six mark, Suryakumar Yadav didn't bring Puthur for his fourth over and allowed CSK to rotate the strike with ease. Even Trent Boult, who didn't have any assistance from the deck, was brought into the attack before Puthur delivered his final over.

Eventually, by the time it happened, Boult had gone for a few runs and the target was well within CSK's reach. Rachin Ravindra smacked Puthur for a couple of sixes to officially seal the deal. MI could've choked their opponents more if they hadn't taken their most threatening bowler out of the attack.

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#2 Masterstroke - Picking Puthur, in itself, was a terrific move

Puthur, who has never played a professionally recognized encounter, was a masterful selection by MI. The Kerala-born spinner displayed excellent control and variations, with the franchise's impeccable scouting coming to the fore once again.

Mumbai had other options on the impact sub bench. They may have been tempted to bring in Karn Sharma after a middle-overs batting collapse since the veteran leg-spinner can not only bowl but contribute a few runs as well. If they wanted to get to a bigger total, MI could've brought in Raj Bawa.

However, they stuck to their guns and picked Puthur, who justified their faith in him with a stellar showing on debut.

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#1 Mistake - MI should've altered their team combination to include an additional spinner

New Zealand & Afghanistan Net Sessions - ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 - Source: Getty

MI picked both Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks in their playing XI for the CSK clash, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman dropping to the bench. While that might be the way to go at home and other pace-friendly venues, Chepauk certainly demanded more might in the spin department.

Mumbai should've arguably picked Mujeeb ahead of Rickelton to give themselves an additional powerplay spin option. Instead, Boult, Deepak Chahar and Satyanarayana Raju offered virtually no wicket-taking threat for the most of the first six overs, with Gaikwad putting the Super Kings well ahead of the chase in that phase.