MI vs CSK highlights, IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings crush Mumbai Indians by 103 runs

After Mitchell Santner, Ashwani delivered another excellent over, tightening the screws on Chennai Super Kings. Mixing his pace cleverly, he kept the batters guessing with sharp changes in speed and hard lengths.

Sanju Samson and Kartik Sharma struggled to find gaps, managing only singles and failing to time their shots. Ashwani even beat the outside edge with a lively delivery, underlining his control.

Just three runs off the over.

CSK 131/4 in 13 overs vs MI

Mitchell Santner delivered a superbly controlled over, applying the brakes just when Chennai Super Kings were looking to accelerate. Mixing his pace cleverly, Santner kept it slow and full, not allowing Sanju Samson or Kartik Sharma any room to free their arms. The batters were restricted to nudges and singles, with just one wide adding to the tally. There were no boundary opportunities as Santner maintained tight lines and subtle variations. Only six runs came off the over, capping a disciplined spell and building pressure in the middle overs.

CSK 128/4 in 12 overs vs MI

WICKET! Ashwani Kumar dismisses Dewald Brevis for 21 runs. A big big wicket for Mumbai Indians. The dangerous Brevis goes back now. The plan to bowl short to BRevis pays off. A simple catch from Bumrah in the deep. Ashwani is celebrating, he knows he has got the big fish. Pandya runs and gives a big hug to the bowler.

Sanju Samson brings up his half century off 26 balls vs Mumbai Indians. He raises his bat to celebrate his knock. He sends Ashwani Kumar for a boundary towards deep backward point and that's his fifty.

Excellent knock from him .

SIX! Mitchell Santner to Dewald Brevis. Oh that's a biggie. Second six in the over. Santner is under pressure at the moment. He is not happy at all. Enought room for Brevis and he loved this. Brevis dispatches this over long-off for a 87 meters biggie.

Mitchell Santner to Dewald Brevis. The South Africa youngster whacks this over the bowler's head. What a brutal hitting from the right hander. He is looking dangerous tonight.

100 up for CSK

WICKET!

Ghazanfar castles Shivam Dube for 5 runs. What a delivery. Knocked him over! This is a massive moment in the game. Dube, expected to take on the spinners, falls to Ghazanfar’s brilliance. It’s the carrom ball from around the wicket, drifting in with the arm. Dube spots the fuller length and looks to go straight down the ground, but is beaten on the inside edge as the ball crashes into the top of off stump.

Ghazanfar is on fire and he is celebrating. This is his second wicket.

CSK 93/3 in 8.3 overs vs MI

FOUR! Lovely use of the wrist. Sanju Samson can plays this shot with ease. Nicely done. He flicks the ball towards square leg region for a boundary. He is inch closer to a half century.

SIX! AM Ghazanfar to Sanju Samson. The right hander transfers his weight to the backfoot, packs the length and dispatches this over deep square leg fence. Superb shot from Samson. He moves to 38 off 17 balls. The ball clears the rope with ease.

CSK 82/2 in 6.5 overs vs MI

A Powerplay that had a bit of everything. Chennai Super Kings will be pleased with the flying start yet again, putting early pressure on the bowlers. At the same time, Mumbai Indians won’t be too unhappy, having managed to grab a couple of key wickets.

Overall, it looks like a good batting surface with some assistance for the spinners, but the pacers - especially Hardik Pandya - have taken a bit of punishment so far.

Chennai Super Kings raced to 73/2 in the first six overs in a lively Powerplay. Jasprit Bumrah started with the new ball, but Sanju Samson set the tone early with a classy boundary. Hardik Pandya then endured a costly over as Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed 19 runs.

Gaikwad (22) looked fluent but fell attempting a big shot to AM Ghazanfar. Samson kept the momentum going, hammering three fours and a six in another expensive Pandya over as CSK brought up their fifty in just four overs.

Bumrah’s second over also proved pricey, conceding 13 runs. Mitchell Santner provided a breakthrough, dismissing Sarfaraz Khan after being hit for a couple of boundaries.

WICKET! Mitchell Santner gets the big wicket. Sarfaraz Khan goes for 14 runs. Sarfaraz goes for a sweep but misses the turn completely. The ball rattles the stumps. Santer has his man. He is celebrating the wicket.

CSK 72/2 in 5.4 overs vs MI

Another good over for CSK. Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz Khan take down Hardik Pandya-Jasprit Bumrah in brutal assault in this over. 13 runs off Bumrah's over.

For Numbrah - 2 overs and 19 runs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2026

6(11)
28(22)
7(3)
15(18)
7(6)
19(13)
22(14)

104 runs at 14.85 average, SR: 119.54

FOUR! First ball from Bumrah to Sarfaraz and the right hander whacks this over the bowler's head for a boundary. What a way to get off the mark and that too against a superstar bowler.

Hardik Pandya with another expensive over as Sanju Samson went on the offensive, taking full advantage of loose lines. Samson punished anything on the pads, whipping a full delivery for six before adding multiple boundaries, including edges and deft guides to third man. A wide added to Pandya’s woes, while even a well-directed ball couldn’t build pressure. The over leaked 19 runs.

50 comes up for Chennai Super Kings

FOUR! SIX! FOUR! Sanju Samson punishing Pandya right now. He hits a four, then hammers Pandya over deep square leg for a biggie and now another boundary. Superb batting by the wicket-keeper batter at the moment.

WICKET! Bowling change works. Ghazanfar strikes, Ruturaj Gaikwad falls for 22. Gaikwad falls after a brisk start, mistiming his shot straight into the hands of Tilak Varma. Ghazanfar continues his dream run in IPL 2026, delivering yet another crucial breakthrough in the Powerplay. Superb delivery. Bowling change worked well for MI and Pandya is a happy man out there.

CSK 32/1 in 3 overs vs MI

Hardik Pandya rests Bumrah and brings Allah Ghazanfar into the attack.

Will this experiment work for MI?

Hardik Pandya endured a tough opening over as Chennai Super Kings came out all guns blazing. Ruturaj Gaikwad led the charge, taking advantage of a no-ball and a wide to put pressure early. A fortunate edge flew for four before Gaikwad pulled a short ball for a six, showcasing intent. Pandya struggled with rhythm and control, leaking boundaries and extras.

Though he mixed his lengths, CSK capitalised effectively, racing to 26/0 in 2 overs.

SIX! Ruturaj Gaikwad brings out the urgency in style. Pandya bangs it in short on the leg stump. Gaikwad pulls it fine, sending it sailing over deep fine leg for a maximum. What a shot. What an over for CSK

FOUR! It's a brilliant delivery. Almost a yorker. Sanju Samson gets a thick outside edge and the ball travels towards third man region for a boundary.

FOUR! What a shot from the CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. He smashes the MI skipper towards deep mid wicket region. Oh boy! siren is on. It's a NO BALL.

Bumrah bowled a NO BALL in the first over and now Pandya.

Hardik Pandya is in action from the other end. A bit of a swing. Ruturaj Gaikwad plays with the movement towards sweeper cover region. He takes a single and runs for another one. Brilliant running between the wickets from Ruturaj and Samson.

FOUR! Absolute class from Sanju Samson. The right hander plays this superbly towards sweeper cover region for a boundary. A good way to end the over. First bounday of the match. First boundary of the CSK innings.

CSK 7/0 in 1 over vs MI

A superb 137ks from Bumrah. It's a short ball. Ruturaj goes for a pull but the ball hits his helmet. Physio are out in the middle to have a check on CSK skipper. A short delay.

CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson are in the middle

Jasprit Bumrah has the new ball. He will open the attack for Mumbai Indians

El Clasico is here. It's time for action.

Here we go ... !!!

Here are the Impact substitutes for both the teams:

Mumbai Indians Impact subs: Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Shardul Thakur, Danish Malewar, Mayank Markande

Chennai Super Kings Impact subs: Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Matt Henry, Akeal Hosein, Urvil Patel

The anticipation around MS Dhoni’s return was high, but it wasn’t to be as the veteran remained out of action. Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to field against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Dhoni is yet to feature in IPL 2026. He has been recovering from a calf strain sustained just before the tournament began late last month, and expectations from fans had built up significantly ahead of the marquee encounter.

A day before the match, Dhoni lit up the stadium, entertaining camerapersons, groundstaff and crew members with his lighter side. He was seen playing with the robot dog “Champak” during a practice session at Wankhede Stadium. The five-time IPL-winning captain had a rigorous training session on Tuesday, where he kept wickets and later spent time batting in the nets.

On Wednesday, he had a short initial stint before taking a break, returning later for nearly an hour to face throwdown specialists and fast bowlers.

After the session, Dhoni—known to be a dog lover—was again spotted interacting with the AI-powered robotic dog, trying to get it to mimic his gestures, though it didn’t always respond.

However, for fans, the wait to see their superstar continues.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, after winning the toss, said: "We are gonna bowl first. Lot of boxes were ticked, intensity was there, we needed that game where everyone comes in and chips in. There was a conscious effort that intensity is in your hands, we wanted to just have fun and things went our way. It looks green, but it played really well. Same team."

On the other hand, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad made one change to the XI.

" We would have bowled first as well, but it was a 50-50 call. It looks a good wicket and coming here at Wankhede Stadium, you have to bat well irrespective of whether you’re batting first or bowling first. So it is just about putting up a great show even if you’re batting first. We are doing really well. It’s just that we are not able to cash in on a couple of moments. But I think we pulled it back really well during our bowling in the last game. Even batting, we had started off really well. But as I said, it’s just a couple of moments where we have to make sure we cash in and we get that win. But everyone is confident and ready to go," he said.

"(Wherever you go, men in yellow, there’s a lot of noise?) Yes, obviously all thanks to the legend (Dhoni) who is not here unfortunately. But obviously it is because of him. Everywhere you go, we have a lot of support. So hopefully we’ll make them happy tonight. We’ve got a couple of changes," the CSK captain said.

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): 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

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

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI)

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

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI)

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

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya wins toss, opts to field vs Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium

Both the captains - CSK's Ruturaj Gaikwad and MI's Hardik Pandya - are in the middle.

Who will win the toss?

Who will win today?

We are seconds away

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) share one of the most intense rivalries in T20 cricket. Having faced each other 37 times, MI hold the edge with 20 wins, while CSK have claimed 17 victories. Both teams are among the most successful franchises, making their clashes highly anticipated.

Over the last year, CSK have played 14 matches, winning 7 and losing 7, maintaining a 50% win rate. In contrast, MI have struggled, winning just 4 of their 14 games, with a 28.57% win rate. With contrasting recent performances, their next encounter promises to be thrilling. Can CSK continue their balanced run, or will MI turn things around?

Leading two of the IPL’s most successful franchises, Hardik Pandya and Ruturaj Gaikwad are finding the pressure of captaincy challenging as they step into the shoes of legends Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.

Ahead of the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings clash at Wankhede, both teams are struggling for momentum, with their captains also battling poor form. Pandya has had a particularly difficult season, managing just 96 runs in five matches and picking up only three wickets at an expensive economy rate, raising concerns about his effectiveness. Gaikwad, despite strong performances prior to the IPL, has also struggled to translate his individual success into leadership impact.

Meanwhile, the availability of Rohit and Dhoni remains uncertain due to fitness concerns, although both were seen batting in the nets ahead of the match.

In the current IPL 2026 standings, the Mumbai Indians (MI) are ranked 7th, while the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) follow closely in 8th place. Both teams have secured 4 points from their first six matches, but MI holds a superior Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.067 compared to CSK's -0.780.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin noted that Dhoni's presence in training suggested he could take up wicketkeeping duties, in place of Sanju Samson or be deployed as an Impact Player. Ashwin expressed confidence that Dhoni is fit and ready to play, adding that his experience and finishing ability could be crucial for CSK, especially after they struggled to close out games. He emphasised that Dhoni's power-hitting in the final overs makes him a valuable asset in tight situations. Dhoni had his first wicketkeeping session of the IPL 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. The 44-year-old has been on the sidelines for CSK's first six matches, recovering from a calf strain.

Gaikwad has been shambolic for CSK so far this season, scoring just 82 runs in six innings at an average of 13.66 and a strike rate of 112.32, with the best score of 28.

There is no better opponent than MI for Ruturaj to gain back his form, having scored 241 runs in nine matches at an average of 41.57, with a strike rate of over 151, with three fifties. His past five knocks against MI have been 7, 40*, 30, 69, and 53, as per ESPNCricinfo.

He also enjoys a fine record against Bumrah, having made 29 in 17 balls against him without losing his wicket. The right-hander has smacked two fours and two sixes against Bumrah, batting against him at a strike rate of 170.58 across three innings.

Former Mumbai Indians batter Aditya Tare believes that the veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni taking on the gloves during the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) recent practice is a 'good sign' and anticipated his comeback against MI in their upcoming game on Thursday.

Although Dhoni previously travelled with the squad, this session marked a significant step in his recovery, especially with his rare involvement behind the stumps during training. Tare, who watched the session, noted that Dhoni’s wicketkeeping drills clearly indicated he is nearing full fitness.

“I was watching the practice session and what surprised me the most is Mahi bhai keeping wickets. I have never seen him wear wicket-keeping gloves in a net session before. He usually just bats or bowls. He never keeps wickets in practice. But in the practice session, he had his helmet, pads, and keeping gloves on. He is probably testing his match fitness after the calf injury," Tare told JioStar.

“We have seen him bat a couple of times in practice earlier. But this is the first time I have seen him keep wickets this year. That is a good sign. CSK might have him back on the field very soon. And if he makes his comeback against Mumbai Indians, that would be really special,” he added.

2 - hundreds have been recorded in matches between MI vs CSK — 114* off 48 balls by Sanath Jayasuriya on May 14, 2008 and 105* off 63 balls by Rohit Sharma on April 14, 2024, both at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

88 - Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten knock off 58 balls in Dubai on Sept 19, 2021, the highest individual innings for CSK against MI in the IPL.

The availability of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni for Thursday’s clash remains uncertain, with both players subject to fitness assessments by their respective medical teams.

“MS, we will know today. That decision will be made once the medical staff is completely satisfied that he is ready to go,” CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons said on Wednesday. Both, though, had a hit in the nets on match eve.

Captaining five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings is never a straightforward task. The challenge becomes even more daunting when the men in charge are asked to fill the towering shoes of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, figures who enjoy near-mythical status at their respective franchises. MI skipper Hardik Pandya and CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad are discovering firsthand how heavy that burden can be.

Both Pandya and Gaikwad entered the 19th edition of the IPL with impressive credentials. Pandya had a stellar 2025, scoring 217 runs and claiming nine wickets, playing a pivotal role in India’s triumph at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Gaikwad, meanwhile, enjoyed a solid domestic season for Maharashtra before marking his return to the Indian ODI side with a century against South Africa in Dec 2025. However, the transition from individual success to leading high-profile IPL franchises has been anything but smooth.

Pandya’s struggles have been particularly stark. The 32-year-old has managed just 96 runs in five matches this season, with his declining effectiveness in the death overs becoming increasingly evident. His last two innings, a laboured 14 off 12 balls against Punjab Kings and a scratchy 15 off 16 deliveries versus Gujarat Titans, have underlined his inability to dominate opposition bowling attacks when it matters most.

With the ball too, Pandya has not been potent. He has taken only three wickets while conceding runs at an economy rate of 11.69, a worrying spike from his career average of 9.29.

Chennai Super Kings have signed Akash Madhwal as a replacement for Ayush Mhatre, who has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a hamstring injury.

Madhwal, a right-arm fast bowler, brings valuable IPL experience, having previously represented Mumbai Indians (2023, 2024) and Rajasthan Royals (2025). In 17 IPL matches, he has picked up 23 wickets, including a memorable five-wicket haul, an outstanding 5/5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants during his debut season with MI.

Mhatre, India’s U-19 World Cup-winning captain, had made a strong start to the season for CSK, scoring two half-centuries in six matches before suffering a left hamstring injury while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Madhwal joins CSK for a fee of Rs 30 lakh as the franchise looks to reinforce its squad for the remainder of the tournament.