IPL 2025: 2 players who starred and 1 who flopped in today's CSK vs MI match ft. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Yet another edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Clasico is in the books! The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat the Mumbai Indians (MI) by four wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, March 23.

The high-profile encounter saw players from both sides deliver contrasting performances. While none of the MI batters crossed the 35-run mark, only three of the eight men who came to the crease for CSK reached double-digits.

At the same time, however, there were a few notable displays in both departments. Two half-centuries and a couple of stellar bowling spells headlined the win for the Men in Yellow.

On that note, here are two players who starred and one who flopped in the CSK vs MI IPL 2025 match.

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#3 Star - Ruturaj Gaikwad

CSK's captain moved down to No. 3 in the team's first game of IPL 2025, and that proved to be a masterful move. Coming in after Rahul Tripathi fell early, Ruturaj Gaikwad started positively and collected boundaries in every over of the powerplay to put the Super Kings ahead of the chase.

Gaikwad, who is usually a slow starter, creamed a couple of cover drives off Trent Boult to get his innings going. He took down Mitchell Santner towards the end of the powerplay, playing some delightful strokes on both sides of the wicket. Then, the classy right-hander essayed a gorgeous inside-out loft off Will Jacks.

Gaikwad notched up his fastest IPL fifty, a knock that went a long way in CSK surviving the middle-overs spin choke.

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#2 Flop - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma bagged a duck [Image: iplt20.com]

Rohit Sharma, who was retained for more than ₹16 crore by MI ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, hasn't done much to warrant such a price tag in the league. The former skipper hasn't had a notable season in over a decade, and there isn't a clear reason for that either.

In the franchise's first game of the new campaign, Rohit was troubled and dismissed by his nemesis Khaleel Ahmed. He spooned a simple catch to midwicket after being beaten outside off, putting MI under pressure early on.

Interestingly, Rohit was subbed out despite Mumbai having Robin Minz, a keeper, on the field. It's worth pondering how much value he adds to the franchise, especially with the bat.

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#1 Star - Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad picked up four [Image: iplt20.com]

Making his CSK debut, Noor Ahmad turned in a sensational bowling performance to help the Men in Yellow to their first win of the campaign. The Afghan spinner was virtually unreadable and hit the right areas for most of his spell.

Noor bamboozled Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma with googlies, breaking the back of the MI middle order. He also got rid of Robin Minz and bowled Naman Dhir around his legs, conceding just 18 runs and no boundaries in his four-over spell.

The left-arm wrist-spinner was rightfully adjudged the Player of the Match and seems set to feast at Chepauk over the course of IPL 2025.