![Mumbai Indians elect to bat first vs CSK [Source: Screengrab/JioHotstar]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1777729155065_MumbaiIndianselecttobatfirstvsCSK.jpg?type=hq)
Mumbai Indians elect to bat first vs CSK [Source: Screengrab/JioHotstar]
Two teams who are fighting to stay alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race will collide tonight as the Chennai Super Kings will go against arch-rivals, the Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. CSK won the reverse fixture, and MI will be up for revenge.
Both teams have had a similar pattern in the ongoing IPL 2026. The two teams have struggled to gain victories in the tournament, and both have had their most experienced players missing (Rohit Sharma, MI, and MS Dhoni, CSK).
CSK is 7th in the points tally, with 3 wins out of 5, and they need to beat the Mumbai Indians to stay alive in the tournament. On the other hand, the Hardik Pandya-led MI are 9th in the table with just 2 wins, and a loss tonight could potentially end their playoff dream.
Ahead of the CSK Vs MI IPL 2026 match, we take a look at the toss winner, and the changes made by the two teams for the contest.
CSK Vs MI IPL 2026 toss update
Mumbai Indians won the toss and Hardik Pandya was quick to make his call as the skipper elected to bat first. However, the decision comes in as a surprise as Mumbai Indians have been poor while defending a total.
Hardik Pandya has included a debutant in the team, with the 33-year-old spinner, Raghu Sharma picked as the management expect the Chidambaram surface to slow down in the second innings.
On the other hand, Ruturaj Gaikwad, the CSK captain also wanted to bat first, as he expects the wicket to stay the same in the second innings. There is still no signs of MS Dhoni as the CSK great continues to be on the sidelines.
Ramakrishna Ghosh is making his IPL debut tonight for the Super Kings, and Prashant Veer comes in for Akeal Hosein.
Also Read: IPL 2026: CSK vs MI Prediction, Match 44- Who Will Win Today?
CSK vs MI Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary
Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar
Also Read: BCCI Drops Official Statement On IPL 2026 Playoff Venues
CSK Vs MI: What the captains had to say
Hardik Pandya: (Decision and reasoning) "We are going to bat first. Looks like a good track. We played here against Zimbabwe in the World Cup. The way we batted last game, we thought we should give another chance to batters to get some runs on the board.
(No rocket science needed now, it is a must win game, isn't it?) It has been that for the last 8 games. Now even more. We have to come up and play well. We are professionals. We have to play our best cricket. We want to turn up and give our best. At the same time it is also about playing for pride, playing to enjoy and playing to win. There are all the things we have spoken off.
Ruturaj Gaikwad: [Batted first had he won the toss] "Yes, we were looking to bat first. But the wicket looks really good. A bit on the drier side but won't change much so happy to bowl first as well.
[On improvement from last game] Yes, we were put in a tough situation. We recovered well and put up a good score and even then we bowled well. A bit tough track to bat on last game, everyone's confidence is high.
Follow CSK Vs MI live updates for the thrilling IPL El Clasico
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