Mumbai Indians will take on arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in Match 44 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, May 2, with revenge firmly on their minds.
CSK have endured an uncharacteristically underwhelming campaign so far, winning just three of their first eight matches. For Ruturaj Gaikwad and his side, a turnaround will require a collective effort across departments if they are to stay in the playoff race.
Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, have struggled even more. Currently languishing in ninth place, Hardik Pandya’s men have lost four of their last five games, including a heavy 103-run defeat to CSK in the reverse fixture at the Wankhede Stadium. Despite their position, MI still have an outside chance of qualifying, but they will need to string together wins quickly.
The surface at Chepauk has shown signs of offering more bounce this season, though run-scoring hasn’t been straightforward. That said, given the overall batting-friendly trend in IPL 2026, another competitive—possibly high-scoring—contest could be on the cards. Teams chasing have enjoyed success at the venue, winning the majority of games played here this season.
Predicted Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings:
Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary
Impact Player: Urvil Patel
Mumbai Indians:
Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar
Impact Player: Robin Minz
