Five league crowns. A captain who once felt untouchable but is no longer steering the ship. Batting groups that are trying to keep pace with the faster, higher-scoring rhythm of today’s IPL. And a franchise that, in recent seasons, has looked a little less radiant—particularly after the shift in leadership. Those themes, taken together, could be used to describe either Chennai Super Kings or Mumbai Indians, two sides that meet at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday for what the IPL calendar labels its “El Clasico”.
The weight of this matchup is still unmistakable—there is always plenty of noise, aura and the sense that it matters more than most. Yet the rivalry’s sharper edges have softened somewhat over the past few years. The atmosphere has dimmed further because MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have been absent for several of their latest matches, with Dhoni missing games for the entire current IPL. During that stretch, both teams drifted towards the lower end of the table before finding momentum again with more recent wins.
Even if the build-up retains the same excitement for supporters and still attracts attention in promotion cycles, the faces that once added extra sparkle to this contest have moved on in different ways—some into coaching roles, others no longer central to the core group.
It can feel like another era since Trinidad and Tobago companions Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard used to prod and needle each other during matches, trade send-offs, and take those rival jabs into interviews. It is also hard to forget the 2013 final moment when Lasith Malinga delivered a searing yorker to Michael Hussey. For some Mumbai fans, though, the emotional shock came when Ambati Rayudu—who helped win the title with them in 2013, 2015 and 2017—switched to Chennai in 2018 and struck hard against his former teammates in the opening game of their return after a two-year suspension, hammering boundaries in the early exchanges.
Harbhajan Singh’s switch would likely have stung MI loyalists even more. After spending a decade with the franchise, he too moved to the arch-rivals in 2018.
That pattern of movement between the two camps has continued in recent times as well. Still, the departures of Deepak Chahar and Mitchell Santner from the CSK set to join MI ahead of IPL 2025 may not trigger the same level of emotion. Shardul Thakur’s arrival at Mumbai this year, after representing six other franchises, has been framed more like a homecoming for the Mumbai allrounder than a dramatic betrayal.
What has also changed is the volume of the rivalry. The intensity feels not only lighter, but quieter. Even the memory of the most recent playoff clash between MI and CSK is beginning to fade, with seven years passing since that memorable final where Mumbai defended 149 by a margin of just one run.
If there has been a recent contest that carried real closeness, it may have been in 2022—when Rohit was still leading the team. Dhoni came out to face the last over in a tense chase of 156. With 16 required off four balls, he struck Jaydev Unadkat for 6, 4, 2 and 4, turning the DY Patil Stadium into a place of shock and delight as Rohit even pulled his cap down over his face in embarrassment at the turning of the tide.
“There’s obviously great history and great rivalry between the two franchises,” CSK bowling coach Eric Simons said on Wednesday. “They’ve been the most successful [sides] and that creates interest. The personalities within the teams as well, I think, play a big role in what piques the public interest. But this tournament has become very balanced. There are no easy games. Every game seems to be a big one.”
For all the balance Simons mentions across the league, the scale has tipped more noticeably in the direction of the other teams. Mumbai have not lifted the trophy since 2020, while Chennai have missed the playoffs in each of the last two editions. The recent rise of RCB—reaching the playoffs in 2024 and enjoying trophy glory in 2025—has also added another layer to the way rivalries are felt, including the tension and comparisons involving Chennai.
While MI vs CSK contests have traditionally been powered by sparks on the field, the rivalry has taken on an additional dimension in the stands. RCB and CSK, in particular, have brought a different kind of public tension, with geo-political themes increasingly showing up as part of the spectacle.
Another reason the MI-Chelsea-style punch—if you will—has not hit the same way is that both teams have had to adjust after the last mega auction in 2025. The changes in their squads have meant more rebuilding time than dominance, and that shift has reflected in the tone of their meetings with each other.
The clash that promises the IPL’s most high-stakes collision is fast approaching a moment where it will need fresh heroes if it is to earn another chapter before the romance of the script starts to fade. For MI and CSK’s competitiveness to keep feeling essential, new protagonists will have to emerge before Dhoni, now 44, and Rohit, who will turn 39 next week, decide to call time on their playing careers.
If Chennai can time an exit correctly—particularly with Sanju Samson, a player who already has a huge fanbase—then Mumbai will be hoping their newest centurion, Tilak Varma, can brighten even further in the years ahead. If Chennai have enough time to nurture “Baby AB” Dewald Brevis, the batter who began his IPL journey with Mumbai, into a future superstar, then Mumbai’s plan will be to rely on their core trio of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah—each capable of making the franchise feel like itself for a long time. The aim is simple: keep the Mumbai supporters chanting familiar names at the Wankhede for seasons to come.
In a T20 world where audiences can have short attention spans, the real question is not only what this rivalry used to be, but what it could become—or needs to become. Competitive duels do not last merely by leaning on legacy. They also have to create something distinct. They can’t rely solely on past highlight reels; they have to generate their own unscripted drama. And instead of only looking back over the shoulder at former legends, the rivalry has to look forward—towards generations who will meet each other often enough to produce fresh moments, build their own followings, and stir the same emotions when blue-and-yellow flags flutter again, whether the action is near Marine Drive or Marina Beach.
Until then, MI vs CSK will occupy that in-between space: anchored by their trophy histories, yet still searching for their next new chapter.
