Afghanistan mystery spinner Noor Ahmad made a memorable debut for Chennai Super Kings as his four-wicket haul limited Mumbai Indians to a below-par 155/9 in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday. For a franchise that has built so much of its identity around home dominance, Noor Ahmad‘s best-ever IPL figures in a strong spin show felt like a gentle restoration of order. Noor Ahmad was a brand new act in the yellow, but he was playing all the old hits, and for a team eager to recapture that rhythm, the tune felt just right.
The vibe on the opening night of the new season at Chepauk took a sudden nostalgia turn just before the start of play. As massive new tifos were unfurled in the stands, the PA system cut through the pregame hum with Europe’s Final Countdown and Bryan Adams’ Summer of 69.
Merely minutes earlier, Chennai’s very own Anirudh Ravichander had brought the house down with all his latest chartbusters in his high-energy live set. This duality of retro anthems and modern fanfare was also in line with how the rest of the evening would unfold as 20-year-old Noor Ahmad revived a classic CSK script in the takedown of Mumbai Indians.
A clinical performance from Chennai Super Kings saw them defeat their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at Chepauk to lay down an early marker in IPL 2025. On a surface that did aid spin (finally), CSK did the job with the ball, led by their new recruit Noor Ahmad which was then followed by contrasting half-centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra to pick up a four-wicket win. The loss meant MI have now failed to win their opening game of an IPL season for the 13th successive time.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : “75m and 72m square boundaries and downtown it is 74m, I like the look of this pitch here at Chepauk. First thing I saw as soon as I walked out was that there is a sheen on the surface which is always a great sight. You can see that it is nice and compact.
It is a lot harder than I thought. Last season the avg score was 170 but with a bit of dew coming in tonight I expect the score to be a lot higher. Spinners will get a little bit of purchase, the change of pace is going to grip a bit for the pacers, but it will slide on to the bat generally,” opines Danny Morrison and Shane Watson
Toss : Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and chose to bowl with Noor Ahmad , Ellis, Rachin and Sam Curran as their overseas options. Mumbai Indians skipper Suryakumar Yadav batting first had Rickleton, Jacks, Santner and Boult as the four overseas in his Playing XI.
Noor Ahmad’s dream debut with 4-fer in Yellow alongside Khaleel Ahmed’s 3-fer restricts MI to 155 for 9 after 20 overs
Noor Ahmad (4/18) ran through the Mumbai Indians middle-order after Khaleel Ahmed (3/29) removed openers Rohit Sharma (0 off 4) and Ryan Rickelton (13 off 7) in the powerplay. On a typical Chepauk surface, CSK got the early breakthroughs after putting the opposition in to bat.
R Ashwin isn’t necessarily a new boy in CSK colours. But it’s been a decade since he played for them. He immediately made a mark after being asked to bowl in the PowerPlay with a carrom ball that Will Jacks mistimed to get caught by Shivam Dube. However, prior to Ashwin’s ideal homecoming it was Khaleel Ahmed who hit the headlines early after CSK opted to bowl first. He dismissed Rohit Sharma for a duck after the former MI skipper hit one straight to mid-wicket.
Khaleel is a dichotomous IPL bowler. He is worse than the average fast bowler during afternoon games, and better than the average fast bowler in night games. The only explanation for it is that there is a small window for movement with the new ball under lights, and he is a different beast when the ball moves.
It showed in how he denied the openers a big hit with the little bit of movement that was available. The eventual dismissals looked soft – Rohit Sharma caught at forward square leg and Ryan Rickleton bowled off an inside edge – but they were the results of the pressure created by Khaleel himself.
Ryan Rickelton, playing his first IPL game, hit a couple of delightful strokes off Sam Curran but his adventurous start was cut short by Khaleel as the left-hander under-edged one that shattered his stumps. Tilak Varma then sprung a surprise by playing a couple of high risk shots off his first two deliveries to pick up boundaries and Suryakumar Yadav rounded off the PowerPlay with a typical whip that sailed over the fence.
To make it better for CSK, their returning homeboy R Ashwin took a wicket in his first over. There is not much mystery to the Ashwin who has returned to CSK after more than a decade, but his length was immaculate, making it a risk every time the batters wanted to attack him. He ended up with figures of 4-0-31-1, the wicket being that of Will Jacks inside the powerplay.
Down at 36 for 3 in 4.4 overs, MI needed something special from their two best batters, stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. The latter hit right back by taking two fours off Ashwin and then hitting two sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, against whom Suryakumar doesn’t enjoy a good match-up.
The narrative around CSK’s pre-season was always centred around the surface at Chepauk. Having not gotten the desired pitches in recent times, CSK hoped for a friendlier surface this time. While it wasn’t really a throwback to their glory days, it still had enough to cause problems for the batting side. Even though Tilak slammed Ravindra Jadeja for a couple of sixes, it was the Noor Ahmad show in the middle phase which completely changed the game in CSK’s favour after the halfway mark.
Noor Ahmad then applied the handbrake with some elan. Noor Ahmad was so difficult to pick that even MS Dhoni was beaten by a mile when he turned one past Varma’s outside edge. That seed of doubt cast, he went back to what he does more often, turn the ball the other way at high speed. Suryakumar was beaten on the outside edge and stumped in a flash by Dhoni.
MI were decently placed at 82 for 3 after 10 overs but Noor Ahmad broke the partnership by getting rid of Suryakumar Yadav who was stumped lightning quick by 43-year-old MS Dhoni. The Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad then picked two in his next over to derail MI as Robin Minz and Tilak failed to read the googly. At 110 for 6, MI needed something special from their lower order to post a competitive total.
Debutant Robin Minz couldn’t get going and tried a desperate shot only to be caught at long-off. Tilak was beaten both in the air and off the pitch: caught on the crease, he had no time to adjust to the ball that turned back in and trapped him lbw. Noor Ahmad came back at the death to bowl Naman Dhir around his legs.
With Nathan Ellis having three overs up his sleeve to round off the innings, things looked bleak for MI. To make matters worse, Noor Ahmad returned for his final over and bowled Naman Dhir around his legs. It was then left to the two former CSK men Mitchell Santner and Deepak Chahar to drag their new franchise to a respectable total.
While Santner got trapped lbw against Ellis, Chahar hammered two sixes and two fours in the final two overs to push MI beyond 150 and give them something to fight for. Nathan Ellis took care of one of the former CSK players, Mitchell Santner, but the other, Deepak Chahar gave MI something to bowl at with a cameo of 28 off 15.
Mumbai Indian’s new find Vignesh Puthur’s 3-fer in vain as Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s fifties carries CSK to 4 wicket win
CSK sprung a surprise by sending Rahul Tripathi to open alongside Rachin. But it didn’t take long for Gaikwad to walk out to bat as Chahar gave MI the early breakthrough with a short ball that Tripathi gloved behind to the keeper. Gaikwad took very little time to get going though as he hit Trent Boult for a couple of boundaries before taking on Chahar for a massive six over deep mid-wicket.
CSK made a surprise move of promoting Rahul Tripathi ahead of Gaikwad, but it didn’t last long as Chahar carried on from where he had left off with the bat, taking a wicket in his first over with a well-directed short ball.
Satyanarayana Raju was welcomed to the attack with a couple of fours and Suryakumar’s move to round off the PowerPlay with a quiet over by bowling Santner was ruined as the CSK skipper took on the left-arm spinner for a six and a couple of fours to race to 42 off just 19 deliveries.
Gaikwad, though, batted like a dream, taking down Trent Boult and both former colleagues, Chahar and Santner. S Raju, who is supposed to be a good death bowler, made an indifferent start with the new ball, and CSK raced away to 62 for 1 in the powerplay. The field spread, but Gaikwad kept going, hitting Jacks for a beautiful inside-out six against the turn, suggesting an easy pitch to bat on.
The shot of the match came in the first over after the PowerPlay when Gaikwad effortlessly lofted one over extra cover for his third six before reaching his fifty off just 22 balls – his fastest in IPL.
With just 82 needed off the last 13 overs, CSK would have wanted to register a big net-run-rate bonus, which is perhaps why they kept trying to hit Puthur’s slow left-arm wristspin for sixes. More than anything it was his slow pace and the slight slowness of the pitch that kept resulting in catches on the fence. Still, Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda is not a bad debut haul at all.
It needed a debutant to stop Gaikwad’s carnage as Vignesh Puthur made an impact immediately after coming in to the attack as the CSK skipper mistimed one to get caught near the boundary. From thereon, the game slowly sprung back to life. Shivam Dube walked out with intent and pulled Jacks over deep mid-wicket for a six but he mistimed Puthur in the very next over to get caught near the boundary.
The debutant had a field day as he struck again, in his third over. Despite getting hit for a six by Ravindra earlier in the over, the left-arm spinner managed to prize out Deepak Hooda to cause some flutter in the CSK camp. MI kept bowling their spinners to apply the squeeze and Sam Curran was next to depart as he failed in his attempt to break free and got castled by Jacks. CSK now needed 37 from the final five overs with five wickets in hand.
By now, it was almost like the home crowd was willing MI to take wickets so that they could get a glimpse of Dhoni with the bat. When Jacks bowled Sam Curran for 4 off 9, it drew a big cheer but the sight of Jadeja quelled the excitement.
The steepest the task got was 31 off the last four overs, but this is when MI gave CSK some pace to work with, and Jadeja immediately hit Boult for a four. Ravindra was the only batter to hit boundaries off Puthur: three sixes, all thanks to momentum generated by his use of feet to charge at the bowler. A run-out in the 19th over gave the Chepauk crowd what they wanted, they even got a six to seal the game, but off the bat of Ravindra as Dhoni stayed unbeaten on 0 off two.
With the game getting tighter, CSK needed a couple of boundaries to release the pressure and coast to victory. Jadeja did find that boundary immediately when pace was back on with Boult returning but it was Rachin who pretty much shut MI’s faint hopes with two clinical sixes off Puthur in the 18th over to also bring up a vital half-century.
With a lot of debate around that overseas opening slot, Rachin did his chances no harm with a measured fifty. Jadeja’s run out in the penultimate over dragged Dhoni out to the middle but it only delayed the inevitable as Rachin hammered another six to seal the deal with five balls left.
In the PowerPlay. The middle overs for both teams were quite similar in terms of the end product. Both teams struggled to find the boundary regularly against spin which meant the first six overs were absolutely crucial. The end difference was just 10 runs but MI in that phase lost two extra wickets which proved to be crucial in the end.
CSK on the other hand, lost only one wicket in the PowerPlay with Gaikwad ensuring he made the most of this phase by getting his team off to a flier. That start meant despite the stutter in the middle overs, CSK were able to recover and finish off the game at the death.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Suryakumar Yadav the loosing MI skipper said : Absolutely. We were 15-20 runs short but the fight the boys showed was commendable. Amazing, MI is known for that – giving youngsters opportunities, the scouts do this for 10 months and he (Vignesh) is a product of that.
I kept his one over in the pocket if the game went deep, but it was a no-brainer to give him the 18th over. There wasn’t any dew, but it was sticky, the way Ruturaj batted in the second innings took the game away from us. It is a long way away.
Ruturaj Gaikwad the winning CSK skipper said : Happy to be on the winning side, loved to have been more clinical but that is how the game goes. That is the requirement of the team (talking about the move to bat at three) and that gives the team more balance and I am really happy to change my position.
The spinners were right on point and right after the auction, one thing we were really excited was all those three spinners bowling in tandem at Chepauk. Khaleel is experienced and Noor is an X factor and that is why we wanted him in the team and good to have Ash as well. He (Dhoni) is more fitter this year and he is still looking young.
Noor Ahmad Player of the match for his stellar performances of 4 for 18 runs said : It feels special to play here in the IPL. Happy for the team and happy with the contribution. The focus was to land the ball in the right area and the wicket of Surya was special and the stumping from MSD was out of the world. Feels great to have someone like Mahi bhai behind the stumps, it is a great support for me.
Chennai Super King’s bowling acquisitions during the off-season paid immediate dividends as their four new bowlers took nine wickets between them to restrict Mumbai Indians to 155 for 9, a total that they chased down with ease but not without a hiccup against debutant left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur, who is yet to represent his state side in senior cricket.
However, it was the other left-arm wrist spinner, younger than Puthur but a veteran by experience, who made the telling impact. Noor Ahmad registered his best IPL figures and the best figures for a CSK spinner against MI, 4 for 18, to capitalise on the inroads made by Khaleel Ahmed, whose CSK debut was not too shabby either: wickets of the openers and analysis of 4-0-29-3.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad made the chase look like a walk in the park with 53 off 26, bringing the requirement down to a run a ball in the ninth over, but this is when they started losing wickets to Puthur, struggling to impart power into his slow wrist spin. Three of them holed out in the deep, but Rachin Ravindra anchored the chase with 65 not out off 45 to see them home.
Noor started it off with the ball, and the Player of the Tournament of the recently-concluded Champions Trophy, Rachin Ravindra, finished it off with the bat. There were plenty of cameos in between from both teams, but none that could impact the eventual outcome of the game. After losing Tripathi in the second over, CSK showed no signs of caution as they made best use of the powerplay by notching up 74/1 in 7 overs. Gaikwad scored 50 of those 74 while Rachin played the second fiddle.
After the departure of the skipper, in the 8th over, Rachin put his head down and displayed terrific commitment to stay till the end. Debutant Vignesh Puthur tried his best to keep his side in the hunt by picking up 3 crucial wickets in the first 3 overs of his spell, but the required rate was never going to be a concern after Ruturaj’s blitzkrieg (his fastest IPL fifty).
A convincing win to start their campaign at home. Fastest IPL fifty for their skipper. Four-for Noor. An impressive stumping from MSD and his two-ball undefeated stay of course. CSK fans could not have asked for a better opener in Chepauk. At the end of it all, Vignesh Puthur (IPL debutant from Kerala) getting an appreciatory tap on the shoulder from Dhoni will remain on top of the highlights reel.
As for MI, they continue to uphold their not-so-famous tradition of losing their opening game. Believe it or not, it is their 13th successive loss in the opening game.CSK would have liked what they saw tonight at the Chepauk. They would hope for another sticky surface to aid their spin trio against RCB on Friday in a blockbuster southern derby. A day later, MI will play their second fixture against Gujarat Titans, which will be an away game again.