Rohit Sharma To Return? MI's Strongest Playing XI vs CSK- IPL 2026, Match 33

Mumbai Indians - (Source: AFP)

On Thursday, April 23, it's the El Clásico. Mumbai Indians will host Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2026 match 33 at the Wankhede Stadium. It will be an interesting game because both teams have had a similar tournament so far.

MI and CSK have four points in six matches and are fighting to leave the bottom half of the table. It is a rare sight to see two of the most successful IPL sides struggle. Interestingly, both MI and CSK have fitness issues, giving the match more meaning.

MI vs CSK Preview

For Chennai Super Kings, they dealt a heavy blow as Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to a hamstring injury. Now, there is a debate about whether CSK will bring in Urvil Patel into the side.

Further, MS Dhoni has regained full fitness, and the 44-year-old is most likely to play against the Mumbai Indians, marking his first game of the tournament.

For the Mumbai Indians, they made four changes in the last game and immediately got the result. The five-time winners registered a comprehensive 99-run win over the Gujarat Titans to seal their second win of the tournament. Similar to CSK, MI are also likely to be boosted by Rohit Sharma’s inclusion for the El Clásico.

Meanwhile, ahead of the upcoming fixture, this article will shed light on MI vs CSK's strongest playing XI for IPL 2026 match 33.

MI Likely Playing XI vs CSK- Match 33

Openers and Top Order (Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Naman Dhir)

As promised by Hardik Pandya, MI made four changes to their playing XI for the match against GT. Danish Malewar was handed his IPL debut, but the youngster is most likely to make way for Rohit Sharma in the upcoming match against CSK.

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Ryan Rickelton also lost his place in the team and will continue to be behind Quinton de Kock in the pecking order. The southpaw failed with the bat against GT, but his century against the Punjab Kings has guaranteed him a few games going forward.

Rest, Naman Dhir’s promotion up the order has worked wonderfully. The right-handed batter scored a quickfire 45 (32), which featured six fours and a solitary six.

Middle Order and All Rounders (Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Will Jacks)

MI’s middle-order will feature Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, and Will Jacks. The India T20 captain is yet to regain his lost form and has amassed just 121 runs in six innings, averaging 20.17.

For Tilak Varma, he too was having an underwhelming tournament, but turned things around in the last match, where he slammed the joint-fastest century in MI history. Skipper himself is having a tournament to forget, and it is high time that Hardik Pandya return to form with the bat and also the ball.

Now, one change that MI might make here is the inclusion of Will Jacks. The England star player has finally joined the MI squad and is most likely to replace Sherfane Rutherford in the playing XI. Jacks had a great T20 World Cup, and his inclusion allows MI to bring in an extra spinner.

Bowlers (Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Allah Ghazanfar, Krish Bhagat)

The bowling line-up is expected to be the same as they were all over Gujarat Titans in the last match. Mitchell Santner picked up a couple of wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah also had his first scalp of the season.

Further, Krish Bhagat also was impressive on his IPL debut. Rest, Ashwani Kumar will come as an impact sub as he picked up a four-fer against the Gujarat Titans.

MI Predicted Playing XI vs CSK- Match 33, IPL 2026

Rohit Sharma
Quinton de Kock
Naman Dhir
Suryakumar Yadav
Tilak Varma
Hardik Pandya
Will Jacks
Mitchell Santner
Jasprit Bumrah
Allah Ghazanfar
Krish Bhagat