MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings, shared why they chose to leave experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin out of the playing XI for their match against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025. Ashwin, who has faced some tough criticism from fans and former players alike due to his less-than-stellar performances this season, was making a comeback with CSK after they spent a hefty Rs 9.75 crore to bring him back to the team.
Chennai was facing some tough times, having lost five matches in a row, so it was clear that they needed to shake things up a bit. With this in mind, they decided to drop Ashwin from the squad and brought in Jamie Overton instead. This substitution was aimed at boosting their batting depth while still keeping some good bowling options in play.
Dhoni explained the thought process behind this change during the post-match presentation, noting, We were putting too much pressure on Ash. He was bowling two overs in the first six. We made changes, and this looks like a better attack. As a bowling unit, we’ve done well. As a batting unit, we can do better. Roles and responsibilities – that’s what we talk about.
During the first part of the season, Ashwin had taken five wickets but was struggling with an average of 39.6, which isn’t great. His economy rate was quite high too, sitting at 9.90 runs per over. In the powerplay, he had a tough time, giving away 90 runs in just six overs while only taking one wicket.
Ashwin wasn’t the only one who got dropped for this match; New Zealand opener Devon Conway also didn’t make the cut. During the previous game against Punjab Kings, Conway had been retired out for Ravindra Jadeja. He was replaced in the lineup by 20-year-old Shaik Rasheed, which added some fresh energy to the team.
In the game against Lucknow, Rishabh Pant’s aggressive innings of 63 runs off 49 balls propelled the Super Giants to a solid score of 166 for 7. Rasheed, along with Rachin Ravindra, kicked off Chennai’s run chase with a strong opening partnership, putting up 52 runs to start things off on the right foot.
Read Also:- IPL 2025 Points Table
Things got a bit shaky for CSK when they found themselves struggling at 111 for 5 in the 15th over. But Dhoni stepped up and teamed up with Shivam Dube to keep their hopes alive for a possible win. While Dube played more conservatively, Dhoni showed flashes of his former self, guiding the team with a smart game plan.
He finished the match not out with a respectable 26 runs off just 11 balls and was key to Chennai’s success in this matchup. In the end, it was Dube who sealed the win with an unbeaten 43 runs, leading CSK to a five-wicket victory and finally breaking their losing streak.
