IPL 2026: Will MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma play blockbuster MI vs CSK clash in Mumbai?

The most-awaited fixture of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) is finally here as Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set to lock horns in Match 33 on Thursday, April 23 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. While the excitement for the match is at its highest, there are question marks on the availability of the two poster boys of the mega encounter: Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.

Dhoni has been on the sidelines since the start of the season due to a calf strain, while Rohit injured his hamstring against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and has missed the last two encounters. With the El Clásico of the IPL just a few hours away, there’s no clarity on the participation of both players in the much-awaited fixture.

Much to the delight of fans, Dhoni has travelled with the team for their second successive away fixture and was even seen practising both his batting and wicketkeeping in the nets. Ahead of the fixture, CSK’s bowling coach Eric Simons spoke about the importance of Dhoni’s presence in the dressing room, while keeping mum about his availability.

"A person like MS never really goes away. He's always a presence. He's always there. He's always a resource for us. He's always someone we bounce off and get ideas and thoughts about. The tactic that we're using at the death has been something he's given a lot of insights into, a lot of thoughts around as well. He's always there as a resource. A decision on him will be taken tomorrow by him and the medical staff, if he is absolutely ready to go,” said Eric Simons in the pre-match press conference.

The former CSK skipper looked fit in several clips shared by the Mumbai Indians’ social media accounts, having fun with the players. With Ayush Mhatre injured, CSK will be forced to make a change to the playing XI in the upcoming fixture, and Dhoni could well play as the impact player with Sanju Samson already doing the wicketkeeping duties.

Rohit practices ahead of CSK clash

On the other hand, MI captain Hardik Pandya had said that Rohit would take two matches to regain his fitness. Now that he has remained on the sidelines for the last two games, it remains to be seen if the management will rush him back into the playing XI for the upcoming game or will take a cautious approach to let him fully recover.

He was also seen practising against throwdowns in the nets ahead of the upcoming fixture. Meanwhile, with nothing confirmed ahead of the fixture, fans will have to wait until the toss time to see if Dhoni and Rohit are playing the upcoming match.