🏏IPL 2026: CSK vs MI, 33rd Match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai🏏

🏏IPL 2026: CSK vs MI, 33rd Match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 23/04/2026 @7:30PM IST🏏

All eyes on Dhoni and Rohit as IPL's defining rivalry returns

It's CSK vs MI again, but both teams have been far from their best in recent years and find themselves at a crossroads.

Rohit vs Dhoni?

They first shared a playing field on October 1, 2006, when Rohit Sharma played for India Red and MS Dhoni for India Blue in the 50-overs Challenger Trophy, in Chennai. That was the first of 652 matches across formats that they've been involved in either as team-mates or opponents.

On Thursday, nearly 20 years on from that first meeting, there's a chance that Rohit and Dhoni will occupy the same patch of turf again. There is a chance Rohit could be fit to start after missing Mumbai Indians' (MI) last two games with a hamstring issue. And Dhoni could play his first game of IPL 2026 if Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) training sessions are anything to go by: he has not only batted but even kept wickets (which he never practised in the nets even at his peak), suggesting he could be readying his troublesome calves for match action.

It's a testament to both players that they remain the faces of their franchises even in 2026, but it can also be read as a bit of an indictment, a symbol of how far the IPL's two most successful teams have fallen behind other, more futuristic line-ups that are now setting the terms.

Going into Thursday's contest, then, MI could well be the more settled - or at least less unsettled - combination of the two teams. What influence that has on the result remains to be seen.

Team Watch

Mumbai Indians

Injuries/Unavailability: No clarity on Rohit Sharma's availability but with Jacks joining the side, MI have multiple options - both in bowling and batting.

Tactics & Match-ups: Jacks could come in for AM Ghazanfar, but the bigger dilemma for MI lies in their opening combination. They could leave out Danish Malewar and promote Naman Dhir to open but that would be unfair on the rookie Vidarbha opener, who debuted only in the previous game. Alternatively, they may persist with the current opening pair, using Dhir as a floater if Malewar falls early and pushing Tilak Varma up to No. 3 should Quinton de Kock be dismissed first. Ashwani Kumar could be a smart selection, given Ruturaj Gaikwad's relative vulnerability to left-arm pace - he has been dismissed 12 times by left-arm pacers since 2022.

Probable XII: Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Krish Bharat, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar.

Chennai Super Kings

Injuries/Unavailability: MS Dhoni appears to have recovered, although there is no official word yet from the management. Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the season, and the management is yet to name a replacement. Meanwhile, Spencer Johnson has joined the team and will bowl in the practice session, confirmed bowling consultant Eric Simmons.

Tactics & Match-ups: Noor Ahmad looks a good option up against Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Sherfance Rutherford, who all have got out to the Afghan spinner two or three times.

Probable XII: Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Gurjapneet Singh.

Originally posted by: Savera84

Team Watch

Mumbai Indians

Injuries/Unavailability: No clarity on Rohit Sharma's availability but with Jacks joining the side, MI have multiple options - both in bowling and batting.

Tactics & Match-ups: Jacks could come in for AM Ghazanfar, but the bigger dilemma for MI lies in their opening combination. They could leave out Danish Malewar and promote Naman Dhir to open but that would be unfair on the rookie Vidarbha opener, who debuted only in the previous game. Alternatively, they may persist with the current opening pair, using Dhir as a floater if Malewar falls early and pushing Tilak Varma up to No. 3 should Quinton de Kock be dismissed first. Ashwani Kumar could be a smart selection, given Ruturaj Gaikwad's relative vulnerability to left-arm pace - he has been dismissed 12 times by left-arm pacers since 2022.

Probable XII: Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Krish Bharat, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar.

Chennai Super Kings

Injuries/Unavailability: MS Dhoni appears to have recovered, although there is no official word yet from the management. Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the season, and the management is yet to name a replacement. Meanwhile, Spencer Johnson has joined the team and will bowl in the practice session, confirmed bowling consultant Eric Simmons.

Tactics & Match-ups: Noor Ahmad looks a good option up against Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Sherfance Rutherford, who all have got out to the Afghan spinner two or three times.

Probable XII: Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Gurjapneet Singh.

Thanks for the tag, Savera ji!

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Pitch Report

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has hosted three matches so far in IPL 2026. The average first-innings total has been around 218. Two out of the three games have been won by chasing teams. Defending totals are not easy at this batting-friendly venue. Both teams have some fierce batters in their ranks and bowling will have to be on their mark to keep them in check.

MI vs CSK Head to Head T20 Record

Matches Played 39

Won by Mumbai Indians 21

Won by Chennai Super Kings 18

Tied 00

No Result 00

First-ever Fixture April 23, 2008 (CSK Won)

Most-recent Fixture April 20, 2025 (MI Won)

MI vs CSK: Probable Best Performers of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma hadn't been having a great campaign in IPL 2026 until he slammed a remarkable century in the last game against the Gujarat Titans. He smashed 101* off 45 balls, overcoming a slow start. Tilak has a reputation for playing back-to-back solid knocks. Nobody can forget the consecutive T20I centuries he scored against South Africa in 2024.

Probable Best Bowler: Anshul Kamboj

Anshul Kamboj

Anshul Kamboj has bowled brilliantly this season. Not only has he done well with the new ball, but his exemplary execution of wide yorkers from round the wicket in the death overs has impressed fans as well as critics. He is the leading wicket-taker at the moment with 13 scalps from six games at an average of 16.23.

Today's Match Prediction: Chasing team to win the match

MI

Second To Bat

Powerplay: 50-60

190-200

CSK

Second To Bat

Powerplay: 50-60

200-210

Win Probability

MI 55%

CSK 45%

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

Stats and trivia

• CSK have won four of their last five games against MI. The most recent meeting, however, was a nine-wicket MI win at the Wankhede last year featuring unbeaten half-centuries from Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav.
• MI could be just the team for Ruturaj Gaikwad to find some form against. He has made three half-centuries in nine innings against MI, including two in his last two games.
• Gaikwad also enjoys facing Jasprit Bumrah: in three innings, the match-up has produced 29 in 17 balls, with no dismissal. Their rivalry has also produced one of the most iconic shots of the CSK-MI rivalry: a nonchalant sweep for six off the last ball of CSK's innings in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

When: MI vs CSK, IPL 2026, April 23 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: Back on red soil and smaller ground dimensions. This should be a high-scoring game, as other Wankhede games have been. Teams have largely opted to field first - particularly at this venue - but MI might do well to bat first and try to out-bat CSK, who, in recent times, have not exactly been good chasers.

Head to head: MI 21 - 18 CSK. The home team has an 8-5 edge at the Wankhede but Super Kings have won four of the last five encounters since 2023.