IPL 2025, CSK vs MI: A look at key battles
What's the story
The third match of the much-awaited IPL 2025 will witness Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai.
This clash is especially exciting as both teams are the joint-most successful in IPL history with five titles each.
Here we look at the key player battles that might be on display.
#1
Rohit Sharma vs Sam Curran
Although Rohit Sharma has an exceptional record in the IPL, left-arm seamers have troubled him.
The in-swinging delivery has always been his weakness. Rohit has fallen 29 times to left-arm pacers in 101 IPL innings, as per ESPNcricinfo.
He averages 24.10 in this regard. Sam Curran can exploit this weakness with the new ball.
The left-arm pacer has dismissed Rohit once across nine T20 innings. He boasts 78 T20 wickets in the powerplay (ER: 8.14).
#2
Suryakumar Yadav vs Ravindra Jadeja
Star batter Suryakumar Yadav, who will lead MI in the opener, will have to tackle CSK's spinners in these middle overs, especially Ravindra Jadeja.
Across 11 meetings in the IPL, Jadeja has dismissed Suryakumar thrice.
The 34-year-old has amassed 45 runs against Jadeja with a strike rate of only 76.27.
SKY has slammed only four boundaries without hitting a single maximum.
#3
Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Trent Boult
CSK opener and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been troubled by Trent Boult's swing and pace.
The left-arm pacer has dismissed him thrice in just five IPL meetings.
The batter has accumulated just 23 runs off 26 balls in this battle.
Moreover, Boult boasts the second most powerplay wickets in IPL (62).
Hence, Gaikwad must find a way to negotiate the Trent Boult threat in the powerplay overs.
#4
Shivam Dube vs Mitchell Santner
Shivam Dube has emerged as the nucleus of CSK's middle order.
His face-off with Mitchell Santner in the middle overs can be enticing.
Dube's IPL strike rate of 169.71 versus spin since 2023 is the third-best among batters with 290-plus in this period.
Meanwhile, Santner, who is known for his economical bowling, has an economy of 7.83 in against southpaws in T20 cricket.