Archrivals Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will face off in the third match of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
The high-octane clash will see stars such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in action, even though Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah will be missing from this fixture.
Ahead of the match, here are three key matchups and player battles that could determine the course of the tantalising contest.
Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Trent Boult
Mumbai Indians will look to exploit the Chennai Super Kings captain’s vulnerability against Boult’s left-arm pace.
Gaikwad vs Boult in IPL:
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 23
- Dismissals: 3
- Average: 7.66
- Strike Rate: 88.46
Gaikwad vs left-arm pace in IPL:
- Innings: 39
- Runs: 461
- Dismissals: 17
- Average:
- Strike Rate: 136.8
Boult has picked the most number of wickets (53) in the PowerPlay in IPL since 2020, at an economy rate of 6.88.
Suryakumar Yadav vs CSK’s spin twins: A mixed bag
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are reunited at Chennai Super Kings and the duo will pose a significant threat to Mumbai Indians’ middle-order. While Suryakumar has never been dismissed by Ashwin in the IPL, he has struggled considerably against Jadeja’s left-arm spin.
Suryakumar vs Ashwin in IPL:
- Innings: 13
- Runs: 115
- Dismissals: 0
- Average: –
- Strike Rate: 145.6
Suryakumar vs Jadeja in IPL:
- Innings: 11
- Runs: 45
- Dismissals: 3
- Average: 15.00
- Strike Rate: 76.27
MS Dhoni vs Mumbai Indians’ death bowling
Dhoni has the fourth best strike rate at the death (overs 17 to 20) amongst batters who have faced a minimum of 50 balls during this phase of the innings over the last two seasons. The former skipper strikes at a formidable 209.84 during this phase, and still has the ability to turn the match around with his power-hitting.
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai will have its task cut out against Dhoni, especially at the death. While Boult has dismissed him two times in the death overs, Dhoni has hammered the Kiwi pacer for plenty of runs.
Dhoni vs Boult at the death (overs 17 to 20):
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 68
- Dismissals: 2
- Average: 34.00
- Strike Rate: 251.85