IPL 2026, CSK vs MI Today Match: Mumbai Indians are once again without Rohit Sharma for match 44 of the Indian Premier League 2026 against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The veteran opener has been sidelined since April 12 after suffering a hamstring injury during Mumbai’s home defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Although the opener has resumed training and is working towards full fitness, the team management is yet to confirm his availability. Earlier, head coach Mahela Jayawardene said the decision will depend on daily fitness assessments and feedback from the medical team.
“He is working really hard to get back at it. So for us with the medical team, it’s on a daily basis. We see how he feels, how he pulls up the next day. So we’ll make a decision tomorrow. We’ll see him practicing today as well. So let’s see how he feels tomorrow and what the medical team will tell us,” he said.
His potential return could be around May 10 against RCB or May 14 versus Punjab Kings, although timelines remain uncertain.
Rohit has scored 137 runs in four matches this season at an average of 45.67 and a strike rate of over 165, including a half-century in the opening game.
Toss Update
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bat first against Chennai Super Kings.
MI have handed a debut to leg-spinner Raghu Sharma, while Krish Bhagat returns to the playing XI. CSK made two changes, bringing in Ramakrishna Ghosh for Gurjapneet Singh and Prashant Veer in place of Akeal Hosein.
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary
Mumbai Indians: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Robin Minz, Trent Boult, Krish Bhagat, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar
Impact Substitutes:
Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Raj Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Ashwani Kumar
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Kartik Sharma, Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Gurjapneet Singh
Pitch Report
The pitch is a fresh black-soil surface with some early assistance expected for bowlers. Teams may look to take advantage of early movement before conditions settle.
The match is expected to be crucial for both sides as they look to stay in contention in IPL 2026.
