Chennai Super Kings veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was removed from XI to play for the first time this season as CSK took a bold step ahead of him IPL 2025 Confrontation Lucknow Super Giants On Monday at Ekna Stadium.
In a strategic reshuffle, CSK captain MS Dhoni announced in the toss that Jamie Overton and Sheikh Rashid had replaced Shewin and Devon Conway in XI.
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Ashwin, who has so far portrayed in all six matches of CSK, failed to make the team the impact that the team expected. The off-spinner has managed only five wickets in the season, with an expensive economy rate of 9.90 runs per over. CSK’s worrying five-match-losing streak, his form, appears to have been motivated to bring into overson-a motion-all-all-rounder that adds depth in both departments.
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Speaking in the toss, Dhoni said about the strategic change: “We want to bowl first, there is a possibility of dew. The wicket gets better in the second innings. We have made some changes – Overton and Rashid come to Ashwin and Conway. It is important to play with the right mentality, playing with intentions.”
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Interestingly, Ashwin was not nominated among the option of impact, which indicates a clear step towards a motion-tight strategy on a pitch to assist the seamers under the lights.
Meanwhile, Lucknow super veteran captain Rishabh Pant confirmed a change, bringing Mitchell Marsh back to Himmat Singh.
“We used to bowl earlier. In Lucknow, it is quick and gets better. Against CSK, we don’t want to give them a inauguration,” Pant said.
CSK’s move to release a stallwart like Ashwin gives an important strategic recurrence signal as the team tries to stop its slide and bring back its season.
Lsg vs csk game xis:
Lucknow Super Veteran XI: Aiden Marcram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Poran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (W/C), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digwesh Singh Rathi
Chennai Super Kings XI: Sheikh Rashid, Rachin Rabindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Rabindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (W/C), Ansul Kamboj, Noor Ahmed, Khalil Ahmed, Mathesh Pathirana
Get the latest IPL 2025 update on Times of India, including match schedule, team squad, point table and IPL Live Score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBK and RR. Do not remember the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.
