IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings win toss, opt to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants; Ashwin dropped from playing XI

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 14 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants in their match on Monday in the ongoing 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Lucknow is hunting its fourth consecutive victory on the trot and moving to the top of the table under the reign of skipper Rishabh Pant. On the other hand, Chennai is desperate for victory, considering their current situation. The Super Kings are at the bottom of the table with just one victory in six fixtures.
With Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of the season, MS Dhoni has returned to take the captaincy role for the remaining fixtures. In his first game as CSK captain since 2023, things didn't pan out well for the five-time champions as they folded up on just 103/9 at Chepauk and suffered a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders.
After winning the toss, Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni said they will bowl first.
"Well blessed, we get good support. Thank you to all the fans. We want to bowl first; there are chances of dew here. The wicket gets better. It's important to set the right temperament. We haven't been consistent with our batting. It's important to have a positive mindset, play those big shots. It's a matter of time. We have a couple of changes. Overton and Rasheed come in for Ashwin and Conway."
Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant said they would have also liked to bowl first, "We would have bowled first. In Lucknow, it's slower in the first innings and gets better gradually. The only thing we talked about CSK is that we don't want to give them an opening; we just need to give our 100 per cent. We want to go out there and play good cricket. Only one change - Marsh comes back in for Himmat Singh."
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni(w/c), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Singh Rathi
Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh. (ANI)