1st Time In IPL, No MS Dhoni And Rohit Sharma In MI vs CSK El Clasico
The wait to see MS Dhoni in IPL 2026 continues, as does the wait for Rohit Sharma's return from a hamstring injury. The star duo missed the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings match
The wait to see MS Dhoni in IPL 2026 continues, as does the wait for Rohit Sharma's return from a hamstring injury. The star duo missed the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings match. It was the first time that both players were absent from the 'El Clasico' since they became part of their respective teams. Earlier, decked out in their teams' training kits, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni batted in tandem during a nets session on Wednesday. The first leg of this year's IPL 'El Clasico' is being played at the Wankhede Stadium, but it remains to be seen whether the two main protagonists of the famed MI-CSK rivalry will be available for another bout.
Rohit, who featured in the first four matches for MI, had walked off the field during the contest against Royal Challengers Bengaluru here 10 days ago with a hamstring injury and has since been on a comeback trail.
On the other hand, Dhoni is yet to take the field in this IPL as he has been nursing a calf strain that he picked up just before the tournament got underway late last month.
The legendary CSK skipper went full tilt in the training session here on Tuesday, during which he kept wickets before undergoing a batting session in the nets.
On Wednesday, he had a very short stint before taking a break and later returned for nearly an hour to face throwdown specialists and fast bowlers.
While he connected with a few shots that went sailing, Dhoni had a mixed outing in which he also failed to connect with several deliveries. His availability, according to CSK bowling coach Eric Simons, will entirely depend on how "happy" the former skipper and the team's medical staff are.
There were some light moments on the field as well when Dhoni, a perennial dog lover, spotted the AI-powered IPL robotic dog and spent a few moments playing with it. He tried to make the robot mimic his gestures, though there were also times when it failed to respond.
Earlier in the day, Rohit arrived at the Wankhede Stadium with his family in tow ahead of his batting stint under lights.
As per the team, the former Mumbai Indians skipper has been batting, but a final call on his selection will be taken around toss time on Thursday. By the look of it, Rohit did not appear to be in any specific discomfort, as he focused more on timing and placement rather than power-hitting.
Meanwhile, India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav had three separate batting stints in the nets on Wednesday, which was MI's only full-squad training session apart from an optional one on Tuesday.
Apart from a sedate half-century in an away match against Delhi Capitals, Suryakumar has not been able to match the consistency he displayed last season, when he notched up 16 consecutive scores of 25 runs or more
Mumbai Indians
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni
Rohit Sharma