New Delhi, March 22 : Ahead of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign against Mumbai Indians in Chennai, former India batter Kedar Jadhav said Rahul Tripathi should bat at No.3 position for the side in the yellow jersey, citing his ability to rattle any bowling line-up.

Tripathi has made a name for himself as a top-order attacking batter clearing the 30-yard circle with ease ever since he became a part of the IPL fold through the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.

In last year's IPL, Tripathi made 165 runs in six innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he emerged as the problem solver of the missing link at number three in their chase of 215 against Punjab Kings. Now in CSK's colours, Tripathi, who had five T20I appearances for India, has been backed by Jadhav to bat at number three, a role held by Ajinkya Rahane in the last season.

'If Devon Conway is fit, then I'm sure definitely he'll start with Ruturaj Gaikwad. They have been very consistent and successful as an opening pair. I think after that, Rahul Tripathi is also one where I would put my bet on, as he had previous good performances for the Sunrisers Hyderabad,' said Jadhav, a JioStar Marathi Expert, to IANS on Saturday.

'After Suresh Raina retired from CSK, they haven't found a good attacking number three batter. Plus, I also think both Conway and Ruturaj are very conventional batters, but Rahul is unconventional. He can rattle any bowling lineup, which is very much needed in the first six overs. So I think these three are the key," he said.

Since IPL's inception in 2008, the matches between MI and CSK have produced memorable clashes, with the rivalry between the two teams being dubbed as 'El Clasico' of the tournament. MI, though, have the upper hand by winning 20 matches, while in the rest of 17 games, CSK emerged victorious.

Jadhav, who himself won a match for CSK in 2018 by one wicket despite a hamstring injury, believes the quest to be number one between MI and CSK is the factor that adds a lot of spice to the rivalry between the two teams. 'Both the teams are very star-studded, and Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are very successful franchises as they have won the IPL title five times.'

'So, I believe that this thing of who wants to be the number one in this race, both of them always are up against each other for a tight battle. If MI wins, they will be ahead of CSK, while if CSK wins, they will be ahead of MI. So, I think it is because of the competitiveness between the two teams that it often results in star-studded clashes,' he added.

'Especially when it happens in Wankhede, people enjoy it a lot because Mumbai's crowd is very supportive. It is not like they will only support MI; they will support whoever plays good cricket. Plus, there's added glamour when the match between MI and CSK at Wankhede. So, I think all these things contribute to it in making the match between MI and CSK, as we call it 'El Clasico', as a super-hit match on a large scale,' he concluded.

/IANS