The Kiwi opener has been pivotal member of the CSK squad for a while now
New Zealand opening batter Devon Conway has been left out of Chennai Super Kings’ playing XI in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 opening match against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.
Conway, who has been part of the CSK squad since 2022 and played a pivotal role in their 2023 title triumph with 672 runs from 15 innings.
However, the left-hander has been left out for his compatriot and another southpaw Rachin Ravindra for the clash dubbed as IPL’s El Clasico.
Rachin had played 10 matches for CSK last season and scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 160 while partnering captain Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top.
Besides the ability to score quickly and also anchoring the innings, Rachin also offers a spin-bowling outlet for CSK in the powerplay which might be behind the five-time champions picking him ahead of Conway.
The way Gaikwad spoke about the Chepauk pitch behaviour, it was evident why they would go for an extra spin option in their ranks.
“Don’t know how the pitch will play, we’re here after a long time. Hope to adapt as the game goes on accordingly. The pitch was a bit spicy, it plays differently than what it seems every time,” the CSK captain said after winning the toss and electing to bowl.
It’s an interesting start to the season for Chennai Super Kings to be facing their biggest rivals Mumbai Indians.
Both teams, who were the dominant forces in the IPL not long ago, had a torrid IPL 2024. MI finished at the bottom of the table under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy while CSK missed out on a place in the playoffs by finishing fifth behind bitter rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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CSK are also with a fresh line-up of bowlers this season with Rajasthan left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed alongside the medium pace of Sam Curran and Australian pacer Nathan Ellis.
CSK have also left out Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana out of the playing XI as all the overseas slots were filled with Noor Ahmed, Rachin, Nathan Ellis and Sam Curran.
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