Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026: Will Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni be available for ‘El Clasico’ return leg at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday?
Updated: May 2, 2026 9:20 AM IST
CSK vs MI IPL 2026: Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings will be looking to complete an ‘El Clasico’ double when they take on Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians in match no. 44 of the IPL 2026 season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s CSK had stunned MI in the first leg of the ‘El Clasico’ last month at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by record 103 runs.
MI have been on a downward slide since then, losing 4 out of their last 5 matches this season and are currently wallowing at 9th place on the Points Table with just 4 points to their name. They will be desperate for a turnaround, after failing to defend over 240 runs in their last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home last week.
CSK haven’t been doing much better either and are only doing marginally better at 6th spot on the Points Table with only 6 points in 8 matches. However, every ‘El Clasico’ fan will be wondering whether star players Rohit Sharma from MI and MS Dhoni from CSK will be available for this return fixture on Saturday.
Rohit has been dealing with a hamstring injury since April 12 while Dhoni is yet to play a single match this season due to a calf strain. “I think we’ve been experimenting a little bit. We’ve had obviously four substitutes there ready to go in according to the situation of the match. Sometimes it’s worked really well like for example the game Akeal Hosein came in and bowled extremely well in one particular match as the impact sub and then there’s other times it hasn’t quite worked out. Like in the last match it didn’t quite work out for us,” CSK assistant coach Michael Hussey said in the pre-match press conference in Chennai on Friday.
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MI have been struggling due to poor form of their star players Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Indian T20I captain has only managed to score 162 runs at an average of 20.25 while Bumrah has claimed only 2 wickets at an average of 132.
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene still put his faith in the star performers. “They are match winners, and they are human. They will go through these things, and their character is that they’ll keep coming back and fighting. So the conversation we’re having is not to have too much pressure on themselves because they feel that, okay, on their own, they should be able to deliver. So that is just saying it’s fine. I mean, these things happen, let’s keep trying,” Jayawardene said in the pre-match press conference in Chennai.
MI hold a slight edge in head-to-head contests in the ‘El Clasico’ against CSK with 21 wins as compared to 19 losses in 40 matches so far. However, CSK have managed to win 5 out of the last six ‘El Clasico’ encounters including the last one this season.
Changing the rules, lions edition ✍️
Which one would you change? #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/2EdpPu9aa2
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 2, 2026
Here are all the details about Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44…
When is Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 going to take place?
The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 will take place on Saturday, May 2.
Where is Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 going to take place?
The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 will be held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
What time will Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 start?
The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 will begin at 730pm IST. The toss for the match will be held at 7pm.
Where can I watch Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 on TV in India?
The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 will be available LIVE on TV on Star Sports network channels in India.
How can I watch Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 in India?
The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 will be available for livestreaming on JioHotstar website and app in India.
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 44 Predicted 12
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan/Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary/Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh, Noor Ahmad
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur/Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar
