Ahead of the CSK-MI IPL 2025 clash at the Chepauk in Chennai on Sunday (Mar 23), two superstars – MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, shared a light moment during the training. Former Chennai Super Kings captain Dhoni and Mumbai Indians’ Pandya hugged midway through the practice session and giggled around as the video went viral on social media.

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While MI’s captain Pandya will miss his team’s tournament opener against fierce rivals CSK, Dhoni, 43, will hog all the limelight in potentially his last season as an active IPL cricketer. In Pandya’s absence, star batter Suryakumar Yadav will captain Mumbai (against Chennai), while Ruturaj Gaikwad will walk out at the toss as CSK's skipper.

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CSK-MI in IPL 2025

The two most successful IPL teams, having won five titles each, will square off in Chennai on Sunday evening in the first marquee match of the tournament. Unlike the previous season, where CSK-MI faced off only once (at Wankhede), the two heavyweights will meet twice in IPL 2025, the second of which is scheduled (for April 20) in Mumbai.

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For Mumbai Indians, ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah will miss the action as he recovers from the back spasm suffered on the Australian tour in January. Although he came close to attaining full fitness and earning an India recall for the recently concluded Champions Trophy, a last-minute lapse in his recovery forced the selectors to overlook him for the first showpiece event of the year.

Per the latest reports, Bumrah returned to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru a week after making his first visit since getting ruled out. Bumrah has resumed bowling at the NCA nets, preparing for his anticipated return to competitive cricket.

Predicted XIs of CSK and MI –

CSK – Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Devon Conway/Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana

MI – Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa/Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult and Karn Sharma

(With inputs from agencies)