Indian Premier League 2026 - 44th Match
CSK
0/0
vs
MI
0/0
Match starts at May 02, 14:00 GMT
won the toss and chose to
Commentary
Preview by Narbavi R
It's not often Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians find themselves in a position where potentially only one of them will book a place in the final four. These two share 10 titles between them. These two have headlined the IPL final four times in a storied rivalry.
But recent years haven't been kind to them. With only three wins from eight games for CSK and two for MI, both sides are already playing catch-up in a tightening playoff race. The margin for error has all but vanished, making this clash less about their historic rivalry and more about survival, as two of the league's most successful franchises search for a much-needed boost to their faltering campaigns.
CSK, who made a woeful start to their campaign by losing their first three games, appeared to bounce back by winning their next two. But losses to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans have pegged them back again. Sandwiched between those two was a statement win over Saturday's opponent Mumbai Indians. They will hope to draw inspiration from that crushing win at the Wankhede and complete a double against their arch rivals. Two points here can help revitalize their campaign especially since two of their next three games after this MI fixture come against bottom-placed Lucknow Supergiants. But for starters, they need a solution to their impact sub woes.
For MI, the task appears to be much tougher. Injuries to Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Santner and Rohit Sharma haven't helped. Will Jacks was unavailable for half the campaign. Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have looked lacklustre and Hardik Pandya's frustration has been evident with every loss. MI have been here before, on multiple occasions. They rallied to go on a winning run at the back end of the tournament as recently as 2025, to make it to the playoffs. The task appears tougher in 2026. But it's definitely not impossible if they can first ahead of their rivals by the end of Saturday.
When: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, May 2 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
What to expect: Teams will have to battle humid conditions in Chennai. It will be interesting to see if dew plays a role.
Head to head: CSK 19 - 21 MI; CSK lead 5-1 since 2023
Team Watch
Chennai Super Kings
Injuries/Unavailabilities: All eyes will be on MS Dhoni yet again. Signs suggest he is edging closer to his return but will that be on Saturday? He did bat for a solid amount of time in the nets 24 hours before the game. Spencer Johnson could also be available to make his debut for CSK. If they opt for that route, Akeal Hosein will have to make way for Prashant Veer.
Tactics & Matchups: Both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jasprit Bumrah have had lacklustre campaigns. However, Bumrah has a very good record against the likes of Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube. But guess which player from the CSK lineup has usually fared well against Bumrah? It's indeed the skipper! That will be a battle to watch.
Probable XII: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma/MS Dhoni, Jamie Overton, Prashant Veer/Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson/Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
Mumbai Indians
Injuries/Unavailabilities: Rohit Sharma did bat in the nets for Mumbai Indians but head coach Mahela Jayawardene revealed that a call on his availability will only be made on match day. Quinton de Kock missed the last game due to a wrist injury. With Ryan Rickelton scoring a century, MI won't rush de Kock's return.
Tactics & Matchups: CSK like using Akeal as a Powerplay specialist. However, MI's most recent opening pair - Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks - have a great record against the left-arm spinner
Probable XII: Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch/Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande
Did you know:
Only MI (5-4) and PBKS (6-4) have a positive win-loss record over CSK at Chepauk in the IPL.
Sanju Samson has scored 264 runs in CSK's wins this season and contributed just 40 runs in their losses.
Anshul Kamboj has picked the most wickets (8) at the death in IPL 2026.
What they said:
"I think he's a great talent and really excited about the future for Kartik. I hope we can see him here at CSK for the next five, ten years. He's got a great attitude towards the game, he trains really well, he's very ambitious, he wants to do well not just in the IPL but he wants to play for India." - CSK batting coach Michael Hussey on Kartik Sharma
"He's working really hard to get back at it. So for us with the medical team, it's on a daily basis. We see how he feels, how he pulls up the next day. So we'll make a decision tomorrow. We'll see him practicing today as well. So let's see how he feels tomorrow and what the medical team will tell us." - MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma's availability
It's not often Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians find themselves in a position where potentially only one of them will book a place in the final four. These two share 10 titles between them. These two have headlined the IPL final four times in a storied rivalry.
But recent years haven't been kind to them. With only three wins from eight games for CSK and two for MI, both sides are already playing catch-up in a tightening playoff race. The margin for error has all but vanished, making this clash less about their historic rivalry and more about survival, as two of the league's most successful franchises search for a much-needed boost to their faltering campaigns.
CSK, who made a woeful start to their campaign by losing their first three games, appeared to bounce back by winning their next two. But losses to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans have pegged them back again. Sandwiched between those two was a statement win over Saturday's opponent Mumbai Indians. They will hope to draw inspiration from that crushing win at the Wankhede and complete a double against their arch rivals. Two points here can help revitalize their campaign especially since two of their next three games after this MI fixture come against bottom-placed Lucknow Supergiants. But for starters, they need a solution to their impact sub woes.
For MI, the task appears to be much tougher. Injuries to Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Santner and Rohit Sharma haven't helped. Will Jacks was unavailable for half the campaign. Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have looked lacklustre and Hardik Pandya's frustration has been evident with every loss. MI have been here before, on multiple occasions. They rallied to go on a winning run at the back end of the tournament as recently as 2025, to make it to the playoffs. The task appears tougher in 2026. But it's definitely not impossible if they can first ahead of their rivals by the end of Saturday.
When: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, May 2 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
What to expect: Teams will have to battle humid conditions in Chennai. It will be interesting to see if dew plays a role.
Head to head: CSK 19 - 21 MI; CSK lead 5-1 since 2023
Team Watch
Chennai Super Kings
Injuries/Unavailabilities: All eyes will be on MS Dhoni yet again. Signs suggest he is edging closer to his return but will that be on Saturday? He did bat for a solid amount of time in the nets 24 hours before the game. Spencer Johnson could also be available to make his debut for CSK. If they opt for that route, Akeal Hosein will have to make way for Prashant Veer.
Tactics & Matchups: Both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jasprit Bumrah have had lacklustre campaigns. However, Bumrah has a very good record against the likes of Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube. But guess which player from the CSK lineup has usually fared well against Bumrah? It's indeed the skipper! That will be a battle to watch.
Probable XII: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma/MS Dhoni, Jamie Overton, Prashant Veer/Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson/Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
Mumbai Indians
Injuries/Unavailabilities: Rohit Sharma did bat in the nets for Mumbai Indians but head coach Mahela Jayawardene revealed that a call on his availability will only be made on match day. Quinton de Kock missed the last game due to a wrist injury. With Ryan Rickelton scoring a century, MI won't rush de Kock's return.
Tactics & Matchups: CSK like using Akeal as a Powerplay specialist. However, MI's most recent opening pair - Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks - have a great record against the left-arm spinner
Probable XII: Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch/Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande
Did you know:
Only MI (5-4) and PBKS (6-4) have a positive win-loss record over CSK at Chepauk in the IPL.
Sanju Samson has scored 264 runs in CSK's wins this season and contributed just 40 runs in their losses.
Anshul Kamboj has picked the most wickets (8) at the death in IPL 2026.
What they said:
"I think he's a great talent and really excited about the future for Kartik. I hope we can see him here at CSK for the next five, ten years. He's got a great attitude towards the game, he trains really well, he's very ambitious, he wants to do well not just in the IPL but he wants to play for India." - CSK batting coach Michael Hussey on Kartik Sharma
"He's working really hard to get back at it. So for us with the medical team, it's on a daily basis. We see how he feels, how he pulls up the next day. So we'll make a decision tomorrow. We'll see him practicing today as well. So let's see how he feels tomorrow and what the medical team will tell us." - MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma's availability
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Veer, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Matthew Short, MS Dhoni, Matt Henry, Spencer Johnson, Zakary Foulkes, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Akash Madhwal, Aman Khan
Mumbai Indians Squad: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Robin Minz, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Krish Bhagat, Raj Bawa, Rohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Quinton de Kock, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar