NEW DELHI: Afghanistan’s mystery spinner Noor Ahmad made a dream debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), delivering a sensational four-wicket haul to guide his team to a commanding four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2025 opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday.
Ahmad’s figures of 4 for 18 were the best by any CSK spinner against MI and played a crucial role in restricting the visitors to a modest 155/9 on a typically slow Chepauk pitch.
In a match that prolonged MI’s dismal record of failing to win an opening game since 2012, Noor Ahmad emerged as the standout performer. His spell dismantled MI’s batting lineup, denying them any momentum. Khaleel Ahmed (3/29) provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Rohit Sharma for a duck and Ryan Rickelton for 13, but it was Ahmad’s brilliance in the middle overs that turned the game on its head.
The defining moment of Ahmad’s spell came when he dismissed MI’s stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 26) with a lightning-fast stumping by the evergreen MS Dhoni, whose reflexes remain unmatched. Ahmad followed this by trapping Tilak Varma (31 off 25) with a deceptive googly and then dismissed Robin Minz and Naman Dhir in quick succession, leaving MI’s middle-order in shambles.
Despite a late surge by Deepak Chahar, who smashed 28 off 15 balls, MI’s total of 155/9 never looked threatening.
Ravindra Anchors CSK’s Chase
Chasing 156, CSK got off to a solid start, led by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s blistering 53 off 26 balls. However, IPL debutant Vignesh Puthur (3/32) briefly rattled CSK’s chase by removing Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda in quick succession. But Rachin Ravindra’s composed 65* off 45 balls steered CSK to victory.
The Chepauk crowd erupted when MS Dhoni walked in with just four runs needed, but it was Ravindra who finished the match in style with a towering six, guiding CSK home in 19.1 overs.
With this win, CSK extended their dominance over MI, securing six victories in their last seven head-to-head clashes since the second leg of IPL 2021.
