Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians: IPL 2026 Clash Preview

Chennai. Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, struggling in IPL 2026, will face each other on Saturday at Chepauk. The match will start from 7:45 PM. The possibility of former Chennai captain MS Dhoni playing in this match is very low.

In this season, Chennai has won 3 out of 8 matches played so far and lost 5. Similarly, Mumbai has won only 2 out of their 8 matches and lost 6 matches. The team that loses this match will find it very difficult to reach the playoffs.

This is the second clash between these two teams this season. Earlier, on April 23, in a match played in Mumbai, Chennai had defeated Mumbai by a huge margin of 103 runs.

Head-to-Head: Mumbai Ahead by Two Matches

A total of 40 matches have been played between the two teams in the IPL so far. Of these, Chennai has won 19 and Mumbai has won 21 matches. Last season, both played 2 matches against each other, in which both won 1-1. In Chepauk, 9 matches have been played between these two, where Mumbai has won 5 and Chennai has won 4 matches.

Sanju Samson Had Hit a Century Against Mumbai

Sanju Samson had hit a century in the last match against Mumbai. He has already scored more than 300 runs in 8 innings with 2 centuries and is the team's top scorer. 

In bowling, Jamie Overton and Anshul Kamboj have impressed. Overton bowled an excellent spell against Delhi Capitals, taking 4 wickets for 18 runs. Kamboj, who has taken 14 wickets in 8 matches, is the highest wicket-taker.

Every Match is Like a Knockout for Mumbai Now

Mumbai Indians opener Ryan Rickelton has scored the most runs for the team. He has scored 260 runs in 6 matches. Rickelton played an unbeaten century innings of 123 off 55 balls against Hyderabad in the last match. 

Similarly, Allah Ghazanfar is Mumbai's leading wicket-taker, having taken 10 wickets in 6 matches.

Whom to Watch 

• Akeal Hosein 

In the past, Indian spinners like R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, and Krunal Pandya used to decide the outcome of matches between Chennai and MI. But this season, two different types of spinners have sharpened their team's bowling attack.

Chennai's Akeal Hosein's deadly arm ball turns in for right-handed batsmen and away from left-handed batsmen. In the first encounter this season at Wankhede, Hosein took 4 wickets for 17 runs, giving Mumbai their biggest ever defeat by runs.

• AM Ghazanfar

On the other hand, AM Ghazanfar has been handling the responsibility in the difficult overs of the powerplay for Mumbai. Batsmen are finding it very difficult to read his carrom ball. Even if someone understands it, they haven't been able to play big shots.

Ghazanfar has become Mumbai's main spinner in his first IPL season after Mitchell Santner was ruled out of the rest of the season due to injury. He was out due to injury in IPL 2025. Ghazanfar has taken 10 wickets in 6 innings at an average of 19.60, which is the second-best average in this IPL after Hosein (18.16).

Spinners Dominate Chepauk Pitch

The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) is slow and conducive to spinners. As the game progresses, the pitch becomes slower, making batting difficult in the second innings and benefiting the team batting first.

95 IPL matches have been played here. The team batting first has won 53 matches, while the team chasing runs has won 42 matches. The highest score here is 246/5, which Chennai made against Rajasthan Royals in 2010.

No Chance of Rain

The weather in Chennai is expected to be very hot on Saturday. The temperature there is estimated to be between 29 to 37 degrees Celsius today, but due to high humidity, it may feel more than 37 degrees.

Winds blowing at a speed of about 35-40 km/h may provide some relief to the players. There is no chance of rain during the match.

Team News: Dhoni and Rohit Unlikely to Play

According to Chennai coach Stephen Fleming, Dhoni is likely to remain out of the field due to a recurring calf problem. After an initial setback on a bouncy pitch, Chennai brought Sarfaraz in as an extra batsman in the powerplay. 

If the plan goes as intended, Chennai may bring back left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary into the team. His Maharashtra teammate Ramkrishna Ghosh also practiced against Gujarat Titans last Sunday, and he may also make his IPL debut.

• Chennai Super Kings (Probable): 1. Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), 2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), 3. Sarfaraz Khan/Urvil Patel, 4. Dewald Brevis, 5. Shivam Dube, 6. Kartik Sharma, 7. Jamie Overton, 8. Akeal Hosein, 9. Anshul Kamboj, 10. Mukesh Choudhary/Ramkrishna Ghosh, 11. Gurjapneet Singh, 12. Noor Ahmed.

Rohit Sharma is also unlikely to return to the field in Saturday's match. If Quinton de Kock is also unavailable due to injury, Mumbai will continue with Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton, who together scored 78 runs in the powerplay against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In bowling, Mumbai may have to choose between Shardul Thakur and debutant Krish Bhagat.

• Mumbai Indians (Probable): 1. Ryan Rickelton (Wicketkeeper), 2. Will Jacks, 3. Suryakumar Yadav, 4. Naman Dhir, 5. Hardik Pandya (Captain), 6. Tilak Varma, 7. Robin Minz, 8. Shardul Thakur/Krish Bhagat, 9. Trent Boult, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. AM Ghazanfar, 12. Ashwini Kumar.

Statistics and Interesting Information

• Chennai has won 5 out of the last 6 matches played against Mumbai since 2023.

• Trent Boult has a formidable record against both Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The New Zealand left-arm seamer has dismissed Gaikwad three times for just 34 runs in 31 balls in 6 innings in the IPL. Similarly, he has also dismissed Samson 3 times in 8 innings. Boult has dismissed Samson only 3 times for just 32 runs in 27 balls.

• Suryakumar Yadav has scored 162 runs in 8 innings at an average of 20.25 and a strike rate of 140.86. This is his lowest strike rate in any IPL season since 2019.

• Mumbai's bowling attack has conceded 10.83 runs per over this season, which is the worst economy rate among all 10 teams. In comparison, Chennai's performance is better, conceding only 9.37 runs per over.