IPL 2025, CSK vs MI: MS Dhoni in focus for Chennai vs Mumbai El Clasico; RR in pursuit of 287 vs SRH

The visiting team, Mumbai Indians, also enter the DEN. IPL's very own El Clasico are just moments away. 

Meanwhile, the broadcast visuals are in, MS Dhoni enters the MA Chidambaram Stadium for Chennai Super Kings's first match IPL 2025 match against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad registered the second-highest total in the Indian Premier League history. They posted a mammoth 286 in 20 overs after being put in to bat. Ishan Kishan slammed a 45-ball hundred while RR pacer Jofra Archer recorded the most expensive figures in IPL. He leaked 76 off his four overs.  

Sunrisers Hyderabad -- playing according to their style -- came all guns blazing to start their IPL 2025 campaign in some style. They are off to a flier and crossed the 150-run mark in the 12th over.  

SRH: 156/2 in 12 overs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Adam Zampa, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Kunal Singh Rathore, Kwena Maphaka, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya

Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (c), Simarjeet Singh, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel

Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and they have elected to field first against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. 

Chennai is expected to experience thunderstorms during the day of the match, but these are predicted to clear before the game itself. While the possibility of a delayed start due to a wet outfield exists, a complete washout is considered unlikely. The match should proceed with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. 

The Chepauk wicket is traditionally known for its spin-friendly pitches. As the game progresses, the strip tends to slow down, offering significant assistance to spinners. Dew can play a role in how the pitch behaves, especially in the later stages of the match.

A clear evening is generally expected at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Temperatures are likely to be in the range of 32-33 degrees Celsius. There is a slight chance of passing a shower during the match.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is generally known to provide pitches that favour batsmen. Expect high-scoring encounters, with average first-inning scores often in the 190-200 range.

Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals for the first three matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, starting on Sunday against Sunrisers Hyderabad in his home town Guwahati. The decision came after Sanju Samson failed to fully recover from a finger fracture and has yet to receive a clearance from the BCCI. Parag, when he steps into the field against SRH on Sunday, will be the fourth youngest player to lead a team in IPL. 

• 22y 187d – Virat Kohli (RCB) v RR – 2011
• 22y 344d – Steve Smith (PWI) v RCB – 2012
• 23y 112d – Suresh Raina (CSK) v DD – 2010
• 23y 133d – Riyan Parag (RR) vs SRH – 2025*
• 23y 142d – Shreyas Iyer (DD) v KKR, 2018
• 23y 188d – Rishabh Pant (DC) v RR – 2021

Player to watch out for: Yashasvi Jaiswal, who missed out on the Champions Trophy squad will be eager to start the season on a high. Jaiswal will be looking to cement his place in India’s T20I XI as well.

With the kind of form Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head have been having recently, the Sunrisers Hyderabad supporters can expect to see impressive strokes. In the last T20I he played, Abhishek scored 135 off just 54 balls with a strike rate of 250 against England during the home series in February.

CSK Predicted XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Sam Curran, R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana

MI Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Raj Angad Bawa, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Arjun Tendulkar

RR Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma

SRH Predicted XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Mohammed Shami

The clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at 3:30 PM and Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at 7:30 will be telecast LIVE on the Star Sports Network and streamed LIVE on the JioHotstar app and website.

Matches: 37 | CSK won: 17 | MI won: 20

Matches: 20 | SRH won: 11 | RR won: 9

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi (wk), C Andre Siddharth, Rachin Ravindra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Anshul Kamboj, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Matheesha Pathirana.

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abhinav Manohar, Sachin Baby, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Wiaan Mulder, Atharva Taide, Simarjeet Singh, Eshan Malinga, Aniket Verma.

Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel(w), Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Maheesh Theekshana, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Singh Rathore.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2025 Indian Premier League. On a double-header Sunday, Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Rajasthan Royals in Match No 2 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in the afternoon, while Chennai Super Kings will face Mumbai Indians at Chepauk in the evening.