Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Match Numbers. The 33rd match will be between the two most successful franchises of the tournament, Mumbai Indians (MI), who will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Only one tournament has taken place between the two teams so far; Both have won just two games and lost four. This is the first MI vs CSK game without Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni in the playing eleven.
MS Dhoni is suffering from a calf strain and is not fully fit to play against MI. Same is the case for Rohit Sharma, who has not recovered from a hamstring injury and has missed the match. Both the teams are struggling with injuries, many CSK players are out. For the men in yellow, Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out, as has Khaleel Ahmed.
Why did Rohit Sharma not play the last few matches of Mumbai Indians?
Rohit Sharma missed a few matches for Mumbai Indians after suffering a hamstring injury while batting in the second innings against RCB. He had to leave the field, retired hurt and did not come back to bat later in the innings. However, it is believed that there is no injury to Rohit Sharma’s hamstring.
Rohit Sharma could not play in the last match against Punjab Kings and later against Gujarat Titans as he could not recover from the injury. Rohit Sharma was replaced by Quinton de Kock at the top of the order during the PBKS game, and later Danish Malevar made his debut against GT in the last match.
Why did MS Dhoni miss the first half of IPL 2026 for CSK?
MS Dhoni is one of the players who has been associated with CSK since the inception of the IPL in 2008 and is one of the four players who have played in every season of the tournament. Dhoni has given up the captaincy role and now plays only the role of keeper-batsman. However, this season, the 44-year-old has yet to feature.
Dhoni, who was to take over the captaincy for CSK, got injured during the pre-season. He suffered a calf strain a week before the start of IPL 2026. Due to this, he is out and is not playing for the Men in Yellow against MI.
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings in IPL
The MI vs CSK encounter has been one of the fiercest and oldest rivalries of the IPL. Both the teams have been playing against each other since 2008 and CSK has missed only two seasons due to the ban. They have met 39 times in IPL history, with MI winning 21 times, while CSK has won 18 times. In finals, they have met four times, with MI having the upper hand and winning three times.
Both teams have produced some of the greatest players and some outstanding moments in the history of the game. From Dhoni’s choice of finish on the last ball in 2019 to Dhoni’s tactical brilliance in dismissing Kieron Pollard in the 2010 final. Tonight we will see another blockbuster clash.
Also read: Breaking! CSK bring in Akash Madhwal as replacement for Ayush Mhatre in IPL 2026
