Noor Ahmad ended IPL 2025 as one of Chennai Super Kings’ most reliable performers, climbing to the second spot on the Purple Cap standings with 24 wickets—just one fewer than Prasidh Krishna. For CSK, though, the campaign was largely a struggle, and Noor’s season started in a way that didn’t suggest he would finish so high. The turning point came on Tuesday night at Chepauk against Kolkata Knight Riders, where he delivered a spell of 3 for 21 and, crucially, synced up with Akeal Hosein in the kind of bowling partnership CSK would have wanted to build more often.
After the match—one that CSK won by 32 runs and delivered their first consecutive victories since April 2024—CSK assistant bowling coach Sridharan Sriram explained why Noor looked sharper on the surface. “The wicket helped. Today there was a little bit of hold for him. The other wickets were quite flat. Today he was a little bit slower through the air, there was more side spin on the ball, there was more drop,” Sriram said. He added that the improvement was also the result of work behind the scenes. “It’s something he’s been working on. Even MS [Dhoni] had a long chat with him in one of the training sessions, getting his legbreak to go. The wicket was helpful today and the results are there to see.”
Noor had played in all five of CSK’s matches up to that point, yet his early numbers mirrored CSK’s difficulties. In the opening trio of games—each of them losses—he managed figures of 0 for 24 (two overs), 0 for 38, and 0 for 49. The first wicket of his season arrived when CSK defeated Delhi Capitals, though that burst still came with a costly 12.00 economy. Even then, it was against KKR that he truly made a difference.
Sriram, speaking specifically about the skills Noor was trying to refine, pointed to the importance of extracting movement and uncertainty from the pitch. “I think to be able to get some deviation off the surface is very important. I think that is what he’s been working on,” he said. He acknowledged that not every wicket offers assistance, but maintained that intent matters. “Everybody accepts that there are going to be days where wickets are going to be very flat, but still looking to be aggressive, put revs on the ball and get the ball to spin will definitely help him a lot. And that’s where you can induce mistakes because once you start to get defensive, then the batters are going to get on top of you.”
On ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut after the game, Saba Karim also highlighted CSK’s idea behind Noor’s role. “[CSK] were looking at Noor Ahmad to become an attacking option for them. And he provided that today. Good to see Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad bowling in tandem, picking up wickets. Also, you know, working very hard to improve their efficacy.”
Hosein, the other key component of CSK’s spin group, had only appeared in two matches at that stage, yet he had barely left any openings—CSK won both contests. Known across T20 cricket as a powerplay specialist, Hosein’s economy rate across 275 games stands at 7.17. In 2025, just his second season after featuring in a single match for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023, he was already beginning to make his presence felt, and a strong partnership with Noor only added to the upside for CSK.
Sriram described how the pair’s bowling dynamic worked ball to ball, not just over spells. “I think they complement each other very well, communicate with each other very well as well. They’ve got a good understanding, camaraderie between them, so [there is] exchange of information,” he said. He added a specific example from the match: “Today actually, I think Akeal was the one who went and told Noor about the exact length, that in-between length that he needed to bowl. In his first over, Noor was either a bit short or a touch full, but then once he found that in-between length, I think Noor was a little unplayable.”
According to Sriram, Hosein’s instructions were rooted in tactics rather than instinct. “So I think credit to Akeal as well because I was a part of that conversation in the strategic time-out where Akeal was telling Noor about that in-between length where the ball was just holding enough and hitting down the ground was not that easy.”
There was also a pattern to how CSK used Hosein that helped shape KKR’s chase. Hosein, named the impact player for the day, waited until the sixth over to enter the attack. After that, he and Noor bowled in tandem for stretches, then were separated, and later reunited again. From the sixth over to the 14th—where, aside from one over by Gurjapneet Singh, it was Hosein and Noor working together—KKR slipped from 31 for 2 to 91 for 6.
Saba Karim noted how unusual that deployment felt to many viewers. “Everybody thought that he would come on to bowl in the powerplay. For him to come and bowl in the middle overs and still remain so effective was so fascinating to watch,” he said. Karim also argued that Hosein’s presence made CSK more balanced. “Both Noor Ahmad and I think the addition of Akeal Hosein has helped the CSK side to become far more competitive and we’ve seen that in the last two games.”
He went on to explain the thinking around CSK’s bowling options. “I think initially, without Akeal Hosein, I felt they were one attacking bowler short. But now I think with him in the XI [XII], now you have the option of bowling Akeal Hosein in the powerplay and today, whatever he has shown, you can also, you know, make him wait and get him in the middle overs.”
While Hosein is often labelled a “slow left-arm orthodox” spinner, CSK’s coaches described him as something slightly different in how he impacts the ball’s movement. Frequently, he plays it as a slow-swing bowler—creating angle and seam-like threat through the air as it gets close to the batter.
Sriram elaborated on the technical reasons Hosein can be difficult to face. “I think his arm-ball is very good in the sense that it swings late, it doesn’t swing from the hand,” he said. He added that Hosein’s release helps the ball move at the most uncomfortable moment. “His release is pretty good that he gets the ball to move a little late and once the ball is good, it’s got a consistent swing, the swing is a little more exaggerated, so that’s what makes him difficult.”
Finally, Sriram praised Hosein’s preparation and match study. “He’s a very good student of the game. He sits through, he analyses opposition, he analyses the opposition batters, where he needs to have his two fielders out and the speeds at which he needs to bowl to different batters. So he’s very, very intelligent that way and he comes prepared with his homework done.”
