On March 23rd, Rohit Sharma, the former captain of the Mumbai Indians, found himself in a bit of a tough spot during their match against the Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This was a big game—the two teams were kicking off the IPL 2025 season, and everyone was hoping to start on a high note. However, Rohit ended up tying a record that he probably didn’t want to be a part of. He got out for a duck, which means he didn’t score any runs, and this was only after facing four balls. Khaleel Ahmed bowled to him, and Rohit tried to flick the ball and it ended up going to mid-wicket, where he was caught.
This unfortunate moment marked Rohit’s 18th duck in IPL history. Now, he stands alongside Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell, all three of them sharing this particular record.
Here’s how the tally looks for most ducks in the IPL:
| Rank | Player | Ducks (0s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | 18 |
| 2 | Glenn Maxwell | 18 |
| 3 | Dinesh Karthik | 18 |
| 4 | Piyush Chawla | 16 |
| 5 | Sunil Narine | 16 |
This game was Rohit’s first Twenty20 appearance since he helped lead India to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. After having a rough start in the very first match, Rohit was surely hoping for better days ahead this season, especially after a disappointing finish last year under Hardik Pandya’s leadership.
Speaking of Hardik, he’s sitting this game out due to a one-match suspension stemming from earlier slow over-rate issues. So, in his place, Suryakumar Yadav stepped up as the acting captain of Mumbai Indians.
At the toss, Ruturaj Gaikwad, captain of CSK, won and decided to have Mumbai bat first. He mentioned that since it was their first time playing on this particular pitch, they were uncertain about how it would play, so his team wanted to chase accordingly. He expressed confidence in their prep, noting that their young wicket-keeper had returned early to join the camp. Gaikwad brought up the overseas players on their team as well, naming Noor, Ellis, Rachin, and Sam Curran.
Suryakumar, stepping in as MI captain, shared his thoughts too. He said he wouldn’t mind batting first and mentioned how enjoyable their camp had been leading up to the game. He recognized both franchises’ incredible achievements over the years and believed that it would be an exciting match-up.
The teams lined up like this:
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | Batsman |
| Ryan Rickelton | Wicketkeeper |
| Will Jacks | Batsman |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Captain, Batsman |
| Tilak Varma | Batsman |
| Naman Dhir | All-rounder |
| Robin Minz | All-rounder |
| Mitchell Santner | All-rounder |
| Deepak Chahar | Bowler |
| Trent Boult | Bowler |
| Satyanarayana Raju | Bowler |
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI):
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Captain, Batsman |
| Rachin Ravindra | Batsman |
| Deepak Hooda | Batsman |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| Sam Curran | All-rounder |
| MS Dhoni | Wicketkeeper |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | Bowler |
| Noor Ahmad | Bowler |
| Nathan Ellis | Bowler |
| Khaleel Ahmed | Bowler |
With the game underway, fans were eagerly watching to see if Rohit could bounce back from his earlier setback. It was all set to be a thrilling start to the new season!
