3 player battles to watch out for in CSK vs MI, Match 3 of IPL 2025 ft. Noor Ahmad

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in their 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign opener on Sunday, March 23, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This will be the third match of the tournament and the second of the day.

CSK and MI are the two most successful franchises in the league’s history, having won five titles each. Their rivalry has grown so fierce over the years that the contests between the two sides are dubbed as the ‘El-Clasico’ of IPL.

CSK lead the head-to-head of the last five matches, having defeated the Men in Blue and Gold four times and losing just one fixture. Notably, MI haven’t won against CSK in the past two years, with the Men in Yellow bagging two wins in the 2023 edition and one in the IPL 2024.

While the Mumbai Indians haven’t won the title since 2020, the Chennai Super Kings have bagged two, winning the 2021 and 2023 IPL editions to equal MI’s tally of five.

The two teams boast powerful lineups, but MI will miss the services of their regular skipper Hardik Pandya for the opening game as the all-rounder is set to serve a match ban due to three over-rate offenses in the IPL 2024.

As the two sides gear up for the mouth-watering clash, here’s a look at the three player battles to watch out for.

3 player battles to watch out for in CSK vs MI, Match 3 of IPL 2025

#3 Ravindra Jadeja vs Suryakumar Yadav

With Ravindra Jadeja usually taking charge of the ball soon after the powerplay and Suryakumar Yadav playing in the middle order, it’ll be interesting to see how the Mumbai batter fares against the Indian all-rounder.

In T20s, the MI batter has managed just 48 runs in 62 deliveries in 12 innings while facing the CSK all-rounder, and fallen prey to him on four occasions. Suryakumar Yadav’s strike rate against Jadeja in these games has been 77.41.

Jadeja has posed a threat to Yadav in recent times, never letting the MI vice-captain hit a six. Hence, Yadav will have to come up with a plan to tackle the situation and do well against the 36-year-old.

#2 Noor Ahmad vs Tilak Varma

Chennai Super Kings spent a whopping ₹10 crore to acquire the services of Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad, who came into the limelight for his performances for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2023 and 2024 editions.

He was a crucial cog in GT’s lineup, and the 2022 champions even used their RTM card to get him back on the side, though CSK outbid them. Tilak Varma, on the other hand, is a good player of spin and the matchup between these two players could be mouthwatering.

Tilak Varma gained recognition for his consistent performances for MI, even though the team has failed to clinch the title in the last four seasons. CSK boast a heavy spin attack and it’ll also be a challenge for Noor to rise to the occasion for a new franchise and do well against their fiercest rivals.

#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Deepak Chahar

Having represented CSK for seven consecutive seasons, from 2018 to 2024, Deepak Chahar will now don the MI jersey and play against the Men in Yellow. After spending so many years in the CSK camp and the franchise’s core being almost the same this season, Chahar will have strategies planned against his former teammates.

Chahar is a new-ball bowler and known for picking wickets in the powerplay, providing his side with crucial breakthroughs. Having done it for CSK against MI, his role will be reversed as MI skipper Hardik Pandya would hope for Chahar to perform similarly against his former franchise.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of CSK, is someone who holds the key to the team’s batting unit. The team’s usually done well when he’s provided good starts, and it’ll be interesting to see what strategy he devises to tackle Chahar, with whom he shared the dressing room in the past seven seasons.