3 things CSK need to do right to beat MI in IPL 2025 clash in Mumbai ft. Shivam Dube

Part two of the heated rivalry between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2025 season will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium today (April 20). CSK won the first meeting between the sides in the tournament by four wickets at home.

Both five-time champions have endured torrid starts to the 2025 IPL campaigns, contrary to the pre-tournament predictions for them. MI lost four out of their first five outings, while CSK suffered five consecutive defeats after winning their season opener.

However, MI winning their last two matches and CSK's victory in their latest encounter have provided fans of both franchises with a ray of hope for the second half of the season.

MI still hold a 20-18 overall edge over CSK in IPL head-to-heads, but the Men in Yellow are on a four-match winning streak against their arch-rivals.

With five losses already in seven matches, CSK are in virtual must-win territory for the remainder of the season, starting with the MI clash.

On that note, here are three things CSK must do to upstage MI in Mumbai and get their 2025 campaign back on track.

# 1 Continue the trend of bold selection calls

Rahul Tripathi has endured an IPL season to forget with the bat [Credit: Getty]

CSK finally decided 'Enough is Enough' and made bold selection calls in their previous outing against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The Men in Yellow dropped Devon Conway and Ravichandran Ashwin, two key members who previously helped them win titles, for team balance.

With powerplay batting and bowling being their biggest issue in the 2025 IPL, replacing the duo with young opener Shaik Rasheed and promising pacer Anshul Kamboj worked wonders. Rasheed scored an enterprising 19-ball 27 at the top, while Kamboj bowled three brilliant powerplay overs, conceding only 20 runs and picking up the crucial wicket of Nicholas Pooran.

CSK must continue this trend and consider replacing the struggling middle-order duo of Rahul Tripathi and Vijay Shankar. With the Wankhede wicket often offering movement early, batting in the middle overs becomes key for any side to post a formidable total.

Shankar has struck at a rate of under 130 in five games this season, while Tripathi has much worse, with an average of 11 and a strike rate of under 97.

The Men in Yellow must replace the duo with young and more dynamic batters like Andre Siddarth and Vansh Bedi, possibly catching MI off guard in this crucial encounter. CSK can also think of drafting an X-factor batter like Dewald Brevis into the XI for some batting impetus in the middle overs.

# 2 Winning the triangular battle in the middle overs

Shivam Dube has played a key role in CSK's recent winning run against MI [Credit: Getty]

The CSK-MI match could ultimately hinge on the battle between the spinners and two middle-order game-changers. If MI has Suryakumar Yadav to tackle the CSK spinners, CSK has Shivam Dube for the same.

However, the ability to keep Surya quiet has played a massive role in CSK's winning run against MI since 2022. The swashbuckling batter has averaged only 17.60 at a strike rate of 120.50 in five outings against CSK since IPL 2022. In the same stretch, Dube averages 38 at a strike rate of 135.70 against MI.

Left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad dismissed Surya in the first meeting between the sides, while Ravindra Jadeja has often enjoyed success against Surya. On the other hand, Dube's presence at the crease could force MI skipper Hardik Pandya to not bowl Mitchell Santner, given Dube's six-hitting prowess against left-arm spinners.

CSK will look to continue winning the triangular battle of Surya against their spinners and, conversely, Dube against the MI spinners.

# 3 CSK openers must go back in time and survive the new ball

CSK openers will look to replicate the performance from their last outing against LSG [Credit: Getty]

Much has been said, rightly, about CSK's lack of intent with the bat in the powerplay and their overall outdated batting style. However, the MI clash might be one where they would want to resort to their traditional safety-first option in the powerplay.

CSK's middle-order batters have specific entry points to optimize their skillset, and the Wankhede wicket favors the seamers heavily in the initial few overs. The combination of the two, in addition to MI boasting three world-class pacers, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah, makes it paramount for the CSK openers to bide their time and set things up for the middle-order batters.

The iffy form of their middle-order batters is another reason for CSK to guard against early wickets. With the bowling unit performing relatively well, the onus is on the CSK batters to ensure they reach a par score at a bare minimum should they bat first.

Even in a run-chase, the same mantra must apply so that the CSK middle-order can look to exploit MI's unidimensional spinners.