The CSK skipper surprised many when he did not come out to open the innings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad surprised many when he did not come out to open the innings alongside Rachin Ravindra during their ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) match against the Mumbai Indians (MI). Instead, Rahul Tripathi was sent out to open.
Looking at the stats, it could be understood that having Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar as two powerplay bowlers on the opposite end for MI prompted the decision.
Ruturaj struggles against pacers in the powerplay with a high dot ball percentage of 45.42% against LAP and 47.9% against RAP. Gaikwad isn’t exactly attacking enough as well with an average SR of around 115.
In contrast, after powerplay, Gaikwad’s SR increases to 171 against fast bowlers.
Former CSK star Michael Hussey also echoed on the same lines while on comms as he reasoned the move to send Rahul Tripathi at the top.
Hussey said, “We discussed quite a lot about Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi. The idea was hoping Tripathi could make a big impact for us in the powerplay. He’s a really aggressive player. Ruturaj, we know how much class he’s got. He can take on spin in the middle overs. He’s been with us for six or seven years.”
ALSO READ:
Speaking about the match, Mumbai Indians managed to put up an average total of 155 for 9 in 20 overs after Noor Ahmad spun his web at Chepauk with a four-wicket haul.
Coming to the chase, Tripathi failed to get going, departing cheaply for 2.
At the time of writing this report, the CSK scoreboard reads 71 for 1 in 6.3 overs with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra currently batting in the middle.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
