Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bat first against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. MI also handed a debut cap to leg-spinner Raghu Sharma. Rohit Sharma, who is still sidelined due to a hamstring injury picked up earlier in the campaign, remains unavailable. For CSK, MS Dhoni also missed the fixture as he continues his recovery from a long-standing calf problem.
Hardik said he wanted his team to make a start with the bat. “We’re going to bat first,” he stated after the coin landed in MI’s favour. “The wicket looks like a good one. After the way we batted in the last match, we want to give our batters another chance to score runs. We need to play our best cricket and see where it takes us. The mood has been good, but it’s been challenging—we have to fight. It’s also about pride. We need to put in a strong overall effort. In 40 overs, we’ve lost the game in a couple of overs that turned out to be crucial moments. We have one debut: the leggie (Raghu Sharma) is playing his first game, and Krish is coming in for Ashwani,” he added.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, explained that his team too preferred batting first on the Chepauk surface. “We were looking to bat first. The pitch looks good, though it’s a little on the drier side, and it won’t change much. It’s a tough track to bat on, especially considering how the last game went. In terms of confidence, everyone is right up there. Stick to the process, do the process properly, and the result will follow. (Ramakrishna) Ghosh comes in for Gurjapneet Singh and Prashant Veer comes in for Akeal Hosein,” Gaikwad said.
Both franchises have found the season difficult, despite their history of success in the IPL. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings—widely regarded as the two most accomplished teams in league history—are currently struggling in IPL 2026. Each side has played eight matches so far, with MI winning two and CSK securing three victories.
