Suspense On MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma's Availability Ends As MI Captain Hardik Pandya Opts To Bat vs CSK
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings.
- Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat vs Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2026 game
- Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, who have been recovering from their respective injuries, stay on the sidelines
- Rohit suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the event, while Dhoni had hurt his calf before the season
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday. MI handed a debut cap to leg-spinner Raghu Sharma. Rohit Sharma, who is currently recovering after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the tournament, continues to stay on the sidelines. On the other hand, CSK's MS Dhoni, who is progressing in his recovery from a persistent calf injury, also misses out on the game.
"We're gonna bat first," said Mumbai Indians captain Hardik as the coin landed in his favour during the toss.
"Looks like a good track. The way we batted in the last game, we want to give another opportunity to our batters to score runs. We have to play our best cricket and see what happens. The mood has been good, it's been challenging. We have to fight. It's about playing for pride as well. Play good cricket overall. In 40 overs, we've lost game in 2-3 overs which were big moments. We have one debut - the leggie (Raghu Sharma) plays his first game and Krish comes back in for Ashwani," he added.
TOSS @mipaltan have won the toss and will bat first against @ChennaiIPL
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 2, 2026
Updates https://t.co/VVAjldiiC0#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvMI pic.twitter.com/Ad8xV5Adku
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said that the team also wanted to bat first on the Chepauk track.
"We were looking to bat first. The wicket looks good, little bit on the direr side, won't change much. A tough track to bat on, last game. Confidence-wise everyone is right up there. Stick to the process, do the process right and result will come. (Ramakrishna) Ghosh comes in for Gurjapneet Singh and Prashant Veer comes in for Akeal Hosein," said Gaikwad.
Both MI and CSK, the two most successful teams in IPL history, are struggling in the ongoing season.
MI and CSK have played eight matches each, winning two and three, respectively.
Mumbai Indians
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni
Rohit Sharma
Hardik Pandya