IPL 2025: Meet Shaik Rasheed, the latest entry into the Chennai Super Kings’ camp
The Chennai Super Kings, the five-time champions of the prestigious Indian Premier League are known to be a franchise that believes in investing in young players and local talent, to shape their career and groom for the big stage.
On Monday, CSK finally brought their IPL 2025 campaign back on track with a commanding and much needed five-wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), held at the Ekana stadium in Lucknow.
Their consecutive losing streak ended with a dominant victory, powered with the return of the mastermind and now-captain MS Dhoni. In the match, Rishabh Pant’s army scored 166 in 20 overs, which was chased by the opposition on a fairly tricky surface.
However, what caught the attention of the spectators was the entry of an unknown player – Shaik Rasheed. The young lad made a memorable entry into the IPL by becoming the youngest-ever opener for Chennai Super Kings. At such a young age, Rasheed’s debut against has made a place in the record books at just 20 years and 202 days, for his franchise. He made his entry on the field as the chase began and opened with Rachin Ravindra in place of the out-of-form Devon Conway.
Shaik Rasheed made a visible impact by scoring 27 runs off 19 deliveries, with confident strokes and stylish knocks in the powerplay. Alongside Ravindra, who scored 37 runs off 22 balls, the pair gave a flying start which shifted the momentum in their favour.
Batsman Shaik Rasheed began his cricketing journey by playing gully cricket in the lanes of Hyderabad, with his love for the sport growing since he was eight years old. He later joined the Sportive Cricket Club in the HCA League.
Later, his family moved to a city called Guntur and despite the financial struggles, his father’s unwavering support in his passion kept his dreams alive.
The boy from Andhra was picked by the Super Kings in the IPL 2025 mega auction for INR 30 lakhs. He has been part of the CSK camp since 2023 but had not played even a single game in the previous two seasons.
A crucial stage in in his career came during the U-19 World Cup, when he was a part of the team that won the cup in 2022. The legendary batsman VVS Laxman advised him to visualize bowlers and practice shadow batting – a technique that helped him improve his mental game.
Taking this advice, Rasheed in 2024, he scored 203 runs in the Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad. He has since then been a mainstay in the Andhra batting lineup, scoring around 1204 First-Class runs in the 19 matches played so far.
The CSK management hopes the right-hander batter can provide some stability to the top-order, which has been a cause of concern this season. Rasheed’s emergence offers a ray of hope and a fresh face for the future.
With the CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury, he has been ruled out of the IPL remainder season. Ayush Mhatre, a young domestic cricketer has been announced as his official replacement.
Another name that was being considered for the CSK camp was Prithvi Shaw, but he did not find a place despite being a front runner to replace Gaikwad. His story clearly indicates that if the talent is not taken seriously with continuous hard work, the player is bound to become obsolete. One must definitely not take anything for granted and capitalize on every possibility offered.
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