IPL 2026 Today's Match: MI vs CSK playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

Both MI and CSK will be aiming for their third win of the season when they take the field against each other at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai

Two IPL heavyweights, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, will lock horns in Match 33 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at Wankhede Stadium tonight, with both sides desperate to revive their playoff hopes. MI skipper Hardik Pandya has won the toss and elected to field first on the night.

 

Mumbai and Chennai have had identical starts to the campaign, winning only two of their six matches so far. However, momentum appears to be with Mumbai Indians, who head into the clash after a commanding 99-run victory over Gujarat Titans.

 

The hosts seem to have found balance in recent games, with Jasprit Bumrah returning to form and Tilak Varma boosting the middle order with a brilliant century. Rohit Sharma, who missed the last two matches with a hamstring issue, is also expected to return.

 

Chennai Super Kings, meanwhile, are battling inconsistency and injuries. Their leading batter Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, while MS Dhoni remains doubtful due to a calf strain. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad now faces a crucial challenge to rebuild combinations and keep CSK’s campaign alive.

 

But before the two sides finally take the ground, let’s take a look at the captaincy record of both skippers, their expected playing 11 combinations, and key player match-ups for the game.

Hardik Pandya’s captaincy record in IPL (MI)

• Matches: 64
• Wins: 37
• Losses: 27
• N/R: 0
• Win percentage: 57.81%

Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy record in IPL (CSK)

• Matches: 25
• Wins: 10
• Losses: 15
• N/R: 0
• Win percentage: 40%

IPL 2026: MI playing 11 vs CSK

Mumbai Indians head into Thursday’s clash with renewed confidence after snapping their four-match losing streak with a dominant win over Gujarat Titans. The biggest boost could be the possible return of Rohit Sharma, who has been recovering from a hamstring injury, though his availability remains uncertain after missing Tuesday’s optional training session.

 

Tilak Varma enters the contest in top form after his match-winning century, while Jasprit Bumrah also returned among the wickets. Mumbai will still want more from captain Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, both yet to hit top gear. English all-rounder Will Jacks has joined the squad and could strengthen the XI.

 

Mumbai Indians playing 11:  Quinton de Kock(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar

 

Impact players: Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma

 

MI squad for IPL 2026:

 

Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (C), Raj Bawa, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Mitchell Santner, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, AM Ghazanfar, Robin Minz, Atharva Ankolekar, Danish Malewar, Mayank Rawat, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar, Raghu Sharma

IPL 2026: CSK playing 11 vs MI

Chennai Super Kings continue to battle injuries and inconsistency ahead of the high-profile contest. MS Dhoni, yet to feature this season because of a calf strain, trained ahead of the match and could return as an Impact Substitute.

 

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad is under pressure after a lean run with the bat, while the side also misses injured youngster Ayush Mhatre, who had scored 201 runs before being ruled out with a hamstring issue. Sanju Samson remains a key figure after making 192 runs this season. Chennai are likely to assess options such as Urvil Patel to reinforce their batting depth.

 

Chennai Super Kings playing 11: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary

 

CSK squad for IPL 2026:

 

Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry, Ramakrishna Ghosh, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Zakary Foulkes

IPL 2026: MI vs CSK key player battles

MI batters vs CSK bowlers

 

Batter (MI)	Bowler (CSK)	Inns	Runs	Outs	SR
Rohit Sharma	Noor Ahmad	4	18	2	112
Rohit Sharma	Mukesh Choudhary	3	27	1	145
Quinton de Kock	Noor Ahmad	5	42	2	131
Suryakumar Yadav	Noor Ahmad	6	58	1	165
Suryakumar Yadav	Jamie Overton	4	36	1	171
Hardik Pandya	Noor Ahmad	5	29	2	126
Tilak Varma	Noor Ahmad	4	24	1	133
Mitchell Santner	Mukesh Choudhary	3	15	1	125

 

CSK batters vs MI bowlers

 

Batter (CSK)	Bowler (MI)	Inns	Runs	Outs	SR
Sanju Samson	Jasprit Bumrah	13	68	4	118
Ruturaj Gaikwad	Jasprit Bumrah	8	52	2	124
Ruturaj Gaikwad	Mitchell Santner	5	39	1	139
Shivam Dube	Jasprit Bumrah	7	31	3	129
Shivam Dube	AM Ghazanfar	2	16	1	145
Dewald Brevis	Jasprit Bumrah	3	19	1	136
Matthew Short	Mitchell Santner	4	28	1	147
Jamie Overton	Jasprit Bumrah	2	11	1	122

 

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