Mumbai Indians (MI) are currently taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 33rd match of the IPL 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This will be the first El Clasico of this year’s IPL as the two most decorated sides of the competition meet. However, the clash will lack significant star power because both sides are missing two of their biggest stars in the squads. There will be no MS Dhoni for CSK, and no Rohit Sharma for MI. This will be a big blow for the fans.
Why MS Dhoni Is Not Playing
MS Dhoni suffered a calf strain before the start of the competition. He is yet to recover from this injury setback. In fact, he is yet to play a single game in IPL 2026. However, he was seen practicing with the team extensively fo the first time since his injury layoff. He was even seen in long wicketkeeping sessions.
There were multiple reports that Dhoni would be finally making his return in the MI Vs CSK game, but fans will have to wait a little more. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni returns for CSK’s next match, against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 26 (Sunday) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Why Rohit Sharma Is Not Playing
Rohit Sharma was playing in the IPL 2026, opening the batting for them. However in the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 12 (Sunday), he suffered an injury to his hamstring. Because of this, he had to be retired hurt for just 19 runs.
This hamstring injury proved to be serious, as he has missed the three matches since. In Rohit’s absence, Ryan Rickleton opened in the game vs Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, in the last game against Gujarat Titans (GT), Danish Malewar made his debut and opened the batting.
FOLLOW: MI Vs CSK Live Score
MI Vs CSK Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians : 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 : Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.
Subs: Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Matt Henry, Akeal Hosein, Urvil Patel
