By Prakash Nair 
Mumbai, April 23: The toss is done. Hardik Pandya called it right, and the Mumbai Indians MI have chosen to bowl first against the Chennai Super Kings CSK tonight at the Wankhede Stadium.
Smart call. Everyone in Mumbai knew that was coming.
The dew settles early at this ground once the floodlights are fully on, and bowling first gives MI’s attack a chance to work with a dry ball in those opening overs before conditions shift in favour of the batters. Pandya and the Mumbai Indians think tank read the conditions the same way every analyst had been reading them all day.
Now let us talk about what the two playing XIs actually look like, because there are some real surprises in there.
Rohit is Out. Dhoni is Out. Both Missing Tonight
The two questions the entire country spent the last 48 hours asking have been answered, and neither answer is the one fans wanted.
Rohit Sharma is not in the playing XI tonight. The former MI captain has been sidelined for a couple of matches due to the hamstring injury he sustained during the RCB game earlier this month. He was doing light work in the nets; there were genuine hopes he might make it, but the medical team had clearly decided not to push it. MS Dhoni is also not featuring, yet to play a single game in IPL 2026 due to his calf strain.
Two legends, two empty seats in the dugout, and a Wankhede crowd that had turned up at least partly to see both of them on the same ground again.
That said, both remain Impact Sub options, so do not completely rule out a late appearance from either man if the game situation demands it.
The Playing XIs: What MI and CSK Are Going With
Mumbai Indians are going with: Quinton de Kock as wicketkeeper-batter, Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya as captain, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Ashwani Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar.
No Rohit. No Will Jacks, who many had expected to come in. Danish Malewar opens instead, the young batter who has been handling that responsibility in Rohit’s absence. De Kock, alongside him, gives the Mumbai Indians an experienced hand at the top even without their legendary opener.
Chennai Super Kings are fielding: Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper, Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain, Urvil Patel, Matt Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dubey, Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, and Noor Ahmad.
CSK have also brought in former Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal as a replacement for the injured Ayush Mhatre, who has been ruled out of the tournament entirely. There is a certain irony in a former MI bowler now helping CSK at the Wankhede, on MI’s home ground, in a match of this magnitude.
CSK will also be without pacer Mukesh Choudhary, who has been bereaved after the passing of his mother. Thoughts are with him and his family tonight. Cricket can wait.
What MI’s Decision to Bowl Tells You
Pandya did not hesitate. Bowl first, chase under dew, use Bumrah with a fresh ball in the powerplay, let Ghazanfar and Santner build pressure through the middle. It is a clear, logical plan.
The Wankhede has been favouring chasing teams this season, and with dew settling in the second half of the night, batting second typically becomes noticeably easier. Every ball gets harder to grip, slower through the air, and more difficult for spinners to turn. If MI can restrict CSK to something around 175 to 185, their batting lineup, even without Rohit, has enough firepower to get there.
De Kock at the top has been dangerous all season. Suryakumar is due for a big knock. Tilak Varma is in the form of his life after that century against GT. And if the target is manageable, having Hardik Pandya finish the innings gives MI real flexibility in how they approach the chase.
What CSK Need to Do in the First Innings
This is now everything for Ruturaj Gaikwad and his batting lineup. MI have chosen to field, which means CSK have the pitch at its freshest and best right now. The ball will do a little under lights in the first six overs, but once the powerplay is done, conditions here generally flatten out quickly.
Urvil Patel coming in for Mhatre is the big selection call. He has the hitting ability, but facing Bumrah with the new ball in the second or third over of an IPL game, at the Wankhede, in a match of this pressure, is a serious examination of nerves. How he handles that moment could shape the entire CSK innings.
Sanju Samson has been one of CSK’s more consistent performers this season. Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube provide the middle-order muscle. And Anshul Kamboj, even when it is not his turn to bowl, just being in this lineup gives CSK a calm, settled feeling. You know he will take wickets when the time comes.
For CSK, a total of 185 to 200 on this surface tonight would feel competitive. Anything below 175, and MI, even without Rohit, becomes a strong favourite in the chase.
The Stage Is Set
No Rohit. No Dhoni. And somehow the game still feels enormous.
That is the thing about this fixture. It does not need its legends to deliver drama. It makes its own. Bumrah is steaming in with the new ball. Ruturaj is trying to counter. Tilak is looking to go again. Kamboj is building his case as the tournament’s best bowler; nobody is talking about it loudly enough.
The crowd at the Wankhede tonight came for Rohit and Dhoni. They might leave talking about someone else entirely.
It usually works out that way.
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- Prakash Nair
- Prakash Nair
- Prakash Nair
- Prakash Nair
