The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The Men in Yellow will face the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their first match of the competition on Sunday, March 23.
CSK, who narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year, will be keen on reverting to their best form. They’ve assembled a decent squad and have a few options to choose from in different departments. A team that’s known to pick a set of players and back them, the Super Kings might not leave too much up in the air.
CSK’s squad for IPL 2025: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda, Andre Siddarth, Devon Conway, MS Dhoni, Vansh Bedi, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, R Ashwin, Sam Curran, Rachin Ravindra, Vijay Shankar, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis.
On that note, here is CSK’s strongest XI, apart from a few options for the impact player, for IPL 2025.
Openers: Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)
Devon Conway has served the team well over the years and was signed for a higher price than Rachin Ravindra, but CSK surely can’t bench the Player of the Tournament from the Champions Trophy. Although Conway has an excellent understanding with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra is a more dynamic player who can also contribute with the ball and should be backed.
There’s merit to Gaikwad batting in the middle order, but he might be intent on making a statement in the powerplay. A batter who has often been criticized for his intent, the CSK skipper can be a destructive opener if he chooses to be.
Middle Order: Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk)
New signing Rahul Tripathi should slot in at No. 3, with Shivam Dube occupying his usual middle-order role. The duo will need to counter opposition spinners well at Chepauk.
Sam Curran will serve as the frontline fast-bowling all-rounder during IPL 2025, given his prowess with the bat and ability to bowl across phases. He could bat at No. 5, although there’s a good chance the Super Kings will want to bring in a batting impact player ahead of him.
MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, who are known to finish off innings against pace, will round off the middle order.
Lower Order: Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed
Chennai are primed to field three frontline spinners in IPL 2025, with new acquisitions Ravichandran Ashwin and Noor Ahmad set to partner Jadeja in the attack. Noor’s ability to bowl across phases should allow the five-time champions to stick to their strengths and not worry too much about the number of pace options in their XI.
Matheesha Pathirana will lead the pace attack once again, while CSK should pick Khaleel Ahmed over Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary and Kamlesh Nagarkoti owing to his superior experience and more versatile skillset.
Impact Player Options – Vijay Shankar, Anshul Kamboj, Deepak Hooda
If CSK want an additional pacer, especially away from home, they could bring in Kamboj, who has been in excellent form in domestic cricket and for India A.
The likelier route is for Chennai to beef up their batting by bringing in either Deepak Hooda or Vijay Shankar, particularly while chasing. Shankar, as a better player of pace, should be the frontrunner at the moment.
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Edited by Sai Krishna
