CSK vs MI: We are just one sleep away from the start of the biggest match of the IPL 2025. It is the first round of El Clasico between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Two teams that have won ten out of 17 IPL seasons combined will be in action. This match will begin at 7:30 PM at Chepauk Stadium on Sunday.
Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the hosts while Suryakumar Yadav will lead MI. Hardik Pandya will miss the first game. There are some incredible players on both sides, and it is going to be a pressure-cooker contest. In this article, we will talk about the top three player battles to watch out for in the CSK vs MI clash.
Top 3 Key Player Battles Between CSK vs MI of IPL Season 2025
Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Trent Boult
CSK missed making it to the playoffs last season. But a lot will depend on how captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will perform. His wicket will be massive for any opposition. He has always been among the top scorers.
But MI certainly has someone who can not just stop him but also trouble him. We are talking about Trent Boult, who has a habit of taking powerplay wickets. Boult has dismissed Gaikwad thrice in just 26 balls in the IPL. Gaikwad has scored 23 runs against Boult at a strike rate of 88.5.
| Year | Runs | Balls | Outs | Dots | 4s | 6s | SR | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2021 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 153.8 | 20.0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33.3 | 2.0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.0 | – |
| Total | 23 | 26 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 88.5 | 7.7 |
Suryakumar Yadav vs Ravindra Jadeja
Suryakumar Yadav will lead MI in the absence of Hardik Pandya. He has been leading Team India in T20Is and has done well. Suryakumar is unstoppable when he gets going, and the world knows about it.
He can take the game away from CSK because of his ability to play shots against spin. But Ravindra Jadeja will be a hard bowler to face. He bowls first and wicket-to-wicket, making him difficult. SKY scores at a strike rate of 145 in the IPL, but against Jadeja, he scores at a strike rate of just 77.4. Not just this, Jadeja has got him out four times in the IPL.
| Year | Runs | Balls | Outs | Dots | 4s | 6s | SR | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37.5 | 1.5 |
| 2015 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 61.5 | – |
| 2016 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 | – |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | – |
| 2019 | 17 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 85.0 | – |
| 2020 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 160.0 | – |
| 2021 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.0 | 1.0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | – |
| 2023 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 71.4 | 5.0 |
| Total | 48 | 62 | 4 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 77.4 | 12.0 |
Rohit Sharma vs Khaleel Ahmed
Rohit Sharma is coming off a great international season. He led India to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and played a match-winning knock in the final. Rohit is very difficult to stop if he gets going.
But he has a slight weakness against left-arm pacers. That is where CSK can use Khaleel Ahmed wisely. Khaleel has done well against Rohit and dismissed him twice in the IPL in 39 balls. Rohit has only scored 28 runs in this battle at a strike rate of 71.8.
| Year | Runs | Balls | Outs | Dots | 4s | 6s | SR | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 171.4 | 12.0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 70.0 | – |
| 2022 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 35.3 | – |
| 2024 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60.0 | 3.0 |
| Total | 28 | 39 | 2 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 71.8 | 14.0 |
