In the 44th match, the two arch-rivals of TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), took on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This was the reverse fixture as the two teams previously faced each other at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, where CSK had the advantage, and they did a double tonight, winning by 8 wickets.
Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat first in a must-win game for both sides. The visiting team made two changes with Krish Bhagat and Raghu Sharma making their debuts for the five-time winner. CSK also made a couple of changes, with the debut of Ramakrishna Ghosh and the entry of Prashant Veer.
Hardik Pandya’s men disappoint again
They didn’t get off to the best start while batting first, losing Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir formed a small partnership. South Africa’s opener was dismissed for 37 runs, and Dhir scored his half-century off 34 balls and was stuck at one end as wickets continued to fall.
Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form continued as he returned after a 21-run start. Dhir returned after 57 runs, and Hardik Pandya did not get going as his bat was also silent, scoring 18 off 23 balls. After Hardik Pandya’s wicket, the team could not run much and finished with a score of 159/7 in their 20 overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad leads CSK from the front
Coming out in chase, CSK lost Sanju Samson in the second over, despite being dropped off Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball, the former being caught off the last ball of the over by Rickelton. Urvil Patel played a ferocious knock of 24 off 12 balls and stepped on the accelerator in the chase, only to be dismissed by Allah Ghazanfar.
The CSK captain scored his second fifty of the season, scoring the half-century off 34 balls and forging a partnership with Kartik Sharma. The two then continued to score runs and kept the required run rate below the current run rate, and finished the game with 11 balls to spare. Ruturaj scored 67* and Kartik Sharma finished the game with a four, scoring 54*.
They played better- Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya was not happy with the overall performance and felt the season was over for Mumbai Indians. He credited the entire CSK team for dominating him in all departments.
Hardik Pandya, after the defeat, said: “Not the season. They played better, bowled better, fielded better and batted better. 180-190 should have been a good total. We couldn’t get the momentum. It was more about practicing calculative cricket. Overall, as a bowling unit, they were better and as a batting unit, we were not better. “The bowling options we had, we accepted.”
Mumbai Indians are more or less out of the IPL after this loss; They remain in ninth position in the table. Hardik Pandya’s team would like to end the season on a high note by winning some of their upcoming matches. They will face bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants in their next match.
Also Read: IPL 2026 points table: Updated standings, orange cap, purple cap after CSK vs MI match 44