Chennai Super Kings kicked off their IPL 2025 campaign with a bang at their home ground in Chennai. Khaleel Ahmed made an immediate impact, dismissing Rohit Sharma for a four-ball duck in the first over and adding Ryan Rickelton to his tally in the next.
The returning Ravichandran Ashwin further dampened the mood by having Will Jacks hole out at mid-on, leaving the visitors reeling at 36/3 by the fifth over.
It took all the experience of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma to dig their team out of trouble, as they formed a fourth-wicket partnership with intent. However, they needed a bit of luck to keep it going when Ravindra Jadeja joined the attack.
Jadeja was brought into the attack by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad right after the powerplay ended and started his spell with just a single run off the first three balls. Tilak, eager to break the rhythm, went for a big hit on the next delivery, aiming for long-off. But the connection was off, and the ball appeared to be heading straight into Sam Curran’s hands near the boundary.
Unfortunately for the Englishman, he was positioned a couple of yards too far inside, and as he tried to backpedal while keeping his eyes on the ball, his feet slipped, causing him to stumble as the ball sailed over his head for a six.
— david Miller (@MillerDavi20894) March 23, 2025
Tilak couldn’t help but smile cheekily, while Curran raised his hand in apology to an exasperated Jadeja. Jadeja’s frustration perfectly mirrored the emotions of the Whistle Podu Army on Twitter.