 "Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets. Image: BCCI")
The Mumbai Indians’ long-standing struggle in their season openers continued as they suffered a four-wicket defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2025 opening game on Sunday. This marks MI’s 13th consecutive loss in their first match of a season, with their last opening-game victory dating back to 2012.
Afghanistan’s young spinner Noor Ahmad starred for CSK on his debut, picking up a four-wicket haul that restricted MI to a modest 155/9 at Chepauk. In response, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front with a blistering 53 off 26 balls, while Rachin Ravindra anchored the chase with an unbeaten 65 off 45 deliveries. CSK sealed the win with five balls remaining despite some resistance from IPL debutant Vignesh Puthur, who impressed with figures of 3/32.
MI’s opening game curse continues
Mumbai Indians’ inability to win their first game of an IPL season has turned into an unwanted tradition. Since their last opening-game victory in 2012, they have now lost 13 consecutive season openers, a streak that continued with this defeat to CSK.
| Year | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Lost by 2 runs |
| 2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lost by 41 runs |
| 2015 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lost by 7 wickets |
| 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiant | Lost by 9 wickets |
| 2017 | Rising Pune Supergiant | Lost by 7 wickets |
| 2018 | Chennai Super Kings | Lost by 1 wicket |
| 2019 | Delhi Capitals | Lost by 37 runs |
| 2020 | Chennai Super Kings | Lost by 5 wickets |
| 2021 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Lost by 2 wickets |
| 2022 | Delhi Capitals | Lost by 4 wickets |
| 2023 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Lost by 8 wickets |
| 2024 | Gujarat Titans | Lost by 6 runs |
| 2025 | Chennai Super Kings | Lost by 4 wickets |
Head-to-head battle: CSK close the gap
Despite Mumbai’s dominance in their overall head-to-head record, CSK have turned the tide in recent seasons:
Total matches played: 38
Mumbai Indians wins: 20
Chennai Super Kings wins: 18
Since the second leg of IPL 2021, CSK have won six of the last seven matches against MI.
Most ducks in IPL history: Rohit tops the List
Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma had another forgettable start to the season, registering a duck in his first outing. This takes his tally of ducks in the IPL to 18, tying him for the most ducks in tournament history. Rohit was dismissed by CSK pacer Khaleel Ahmed in the first over of the match on Sunday.
18 - Rohit Sharma*
18 - Glenn Maxwell
18 - Dinesh Karthik
16 - Piyush Chawla
16 - Sunil Narine