Chennai Super Kings' Shaik Rasheed during the IPL tie against Lucknow Super Giants.
Credit: PTI Photo
Former India U-19 World Cup winner Shaik Rasheed made a strong impression on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)) against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scoring 27 off 19 balls with six boundaries.
The decision to drop opener Devon Conway and bring in Rasheed paid off immediately. Though part of the CSK squad for the past two seasons, Rasheed finally got his first game this year and made it count.
Opening the innings with New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, Rasheed got off to a brisk start. The pair put together a 52-run partnership in just five overs, giving CSK early momentum in their chase.
However, pacer Avesh Khan broke the stand and dismissed Rasheed for 27, stopping what looked like a promising knock.
Who is Shaik Rasheed?
The Andhra Pradesh batter was picked by CSK for Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2025 auction. A member of India's victorious Under-19 World Cup team in 2022, Rasheed has been a regular in the Andhra domestic side.
He has scored 1,204 runs in 19 first-class matches at an average of 46.04. In T20s, he has 352 runs from 17 games at an average of 29.33 and a strike rate of 127.07.
CSK legend MS Dhoni, who captained the team on Monday, praised the youngster's debut performance.
"He has been with us for quite a few years (Shaik Rasheed). This year he has been batting really well in the nets against both pacers and spinners. It's just the start. He has the capability to dominate with authentic shots," the skipper said.
Dhoni finishes off in style
Meanwhile, CSK returned to winning ways after a string of five losses, defeating LSG by five wickets at the Ekana Stadium on Monday.
Chasing 167, CSK rode on an unbeaten 57-run partnership between Shivam Dube and Dhoni to seal the win with three balls to spare.
Dhoni, 43, walked in at No. 7 and rolled back the years with a quickfire 11-ball 28, featuring four boundaries and a six. His late burst helped silence critics questioning his finishing abilities.
LSG, meanwhile, suffered their third loss in seven games. Their innings was anchored by a return-to-form 63 from captain Rishabh Pant, who guided them to a respectable 166 for seven.
(With inputs from PTI)