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MI VS CSK: Why MS Dhoni Is NOT Playing In Today's IPL 2026 Match? Chennai Vs Mumbai To Happen Without THALA
MI VS CSK match: Will Dhoni play in Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings IPL 2026 match? This was the question on everyone's mind. All speculations have been laid to rest as MS Dhoni did not arrive at Wankhede Stadium for the MI vs CSK IPL 2026 match.
Why MS Dhoni Did Not Play In CSK Vs MI IPL 2026 Match?
Cricbuzz reported that Dhoni will not play in the much-awaited game. Former Chennai Super Kings captain Dhoni has not featured in any game in Indian Premier League 2026 season so far, setting several tongues wagging, His absence from the game marked a major news before this high-profile clash.
Captains from both camps confirmed that Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are unavailable for this match. Chennai Super Kings earlier revealed that MS Dhoni is in rehabilitation after suffering a calf strain, and the franchise expected the ace cricketer to sit out roughly the first two weeks of IPL 2026. However, it has been more than that.
The absence turned out to be a setback for CSK, removing Dhoni's experience behind the stumps and influence in tense chases, which have often shaped results in crucial stages of past seasons.
MI vs CSK IPL 2026 match captain reactions
After losing the toss, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad spoke about CSK supporters and Dhoni’s influence on the fan base. Talking about CSK fans, Gaikwad said as quoted as saying by NDTV, "Yes, obviously all thanks to the legend (Dhoni) who is not here unfortunately. But obviously it is because of him. Everywhere you go, we have a lot of support. So hopefully we'll make them happy tonight. We've got a couple of changes."
MI vs CSK IPL 2026 match playing XIs
Mumbai Indians, unchanged for this fixture, hand the new ball duties again to their regular attack and will chase under lights. Chennai Super Kings, asked to bat first, rely on a reshuffled XI that mixes experience and youth. The full MI vs CSK team lists for this IPL 2026 contest are given below in tabular form.
| Team | Playing XI |
|---|---|
| Mumbai Indians | Quinton de Kock (w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar |
| Chennai Super Kings | Sanju Samson (w), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary |
With Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni both missing, attention turns to Hardik Pandya and Ruturaj Gaikwad to shape this MI vs CSK IPL 2026 meeting. Dhoni’s absence, yet again this season, heightens curiosity, while Wankhede Stadium expects strong support for both teams as CSK bat first against an unchanged Mumbai attack.
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