March 24, 2025: Former New Zealand captain and batter Kane Williamson shared his views on Rohit Sharma’s dismissals against left-arm pacers after Mumbai Indians (MI) faced a defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2025 season opener. In the match, Rohit was dismissed for a duck by Khaleel Ahmed in the powerplay.
Williamson acknowledged that it was just the beginning of the IPL season, and highlighted Khaleel’s ability to pick early wickets. He stated, “It’s just the first match. Khaleel Ahmed has a real knack for taking early wickets in the powerplay, and that set the tone for the Chennai side. As for Rohit, he has faced a huge number of left-arm pacers throughout his career, and he will continue to play with freedom.”
Williamson also mentioned that the conditions in Chennai required a different approach, with players needing to navigate through tricky phases, but when Mumbai plays at Wankhede Stadium, the conditions will suit Rohit’s and MI’s style of play better.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu analyzed Mumbai’s performance and pointed out that losing early wickets in the powerplay puts any team on the back foot. He added, “Once you lose three or four early wickets in the first six overs, you’re already on the back foot. And they weren’t just 20-odd runs short; they were 30-40 runs short.” Sidhu also noted MI’s missing key players, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, which contributed to their setback.
Despite the loss, a spirited performance from Noor Ahmad and a determined 65* from Rachin Ravindra helped CSK secure a four-wicket victory at Chepauk, with CSK chasing down MI’s total of 155/9 with ease.
Brief Score:
Mumbai Indians 155/9 (Tilak Varma 31, Suryakumar Yadav 29; Noor Ahmad 4-18)
Chennai Super Kings 158/6 (Rachin Ravindra 65*, Ruturaj Gaikwad 53; Vignesh Puthur 3-32).