The opening match of the IPL 2025 season for the Mumbai Indians against their long-time rivals, the Chennai Super Kings, was a poignant occasion for Deepak Chahar. This game marked his reunion with former teammates from the franchise where he had spent seven seasons, and it was also his first return to Chepauk since being released by CSK last October. Despite the emotional backdrop, Chahar maintained a lighthearted demeanor throughout the match, as evidenced by a recent clip showing him engaging in playful banter with both Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni.

Chahar's first attempt at banter occurred during the 15th over when Jadeja came out to bat. The Indian fast bowler approached the all-rounder, exchanging a few words that a fan managed to capture on video. Jadeja responded in good spirit, playfully swinging his bat at Chahar. The fast bowler employed a similar tactic with MS Dhoni, but the legendary cricketer chose to ignore him. Nevertheless, after the match concluded, the former CSK captain humorously tapped him with the bat.

Another season, another opening-game loss for MI

In another season, Mumbai faced yet another defeat in their opening game. Chennai compounded Mumbai's struggles by winning the match by four wickets, marking Mumbai's 13th consecutive loss in their season openers. The last time the Mumbai Indians triumphed in their first match was in 2012. Conversely, this victory allowed Chennai to assert their dominance over Mumbai, having won six out of their last seven encounters since the latter half of the 2021 season.

Chennai's Noor Ahmad, a left-arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan, delivered an impressive performance, taking 4 wickets for 18 runs in four overs, which limited Mumbai to a total of 155 for 9 after losing the toss. Tilak Varma was the top scorer for Mumbai, contributing 31 runs off 25 balls. In response, Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 65 off 45 balls and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's rapid 53 off 26 balls propelled Chennai to a total of 158 for 6 in 19.1 overs.

Chennai's next match will be against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who secured a victory over the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, in the season opener last week, on March 28 at home. Meanwhile, Mumbai will head to Ahmedabad to face the Gujarat Titans on March 29.

Read Also: Noor Ahmad, Rachin Ravindra Star as CSK Triumph Over MI

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