Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The spotlight may still be on the iconic rivalry between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, but IPL 2026 served up a surprise even before the first ball was bowled. There was no MS Dhoni and no Rohit Sharma in the playing XIs. Instead, a new-look CSK and MI walked out with fresh combinations and several under-pressure stars looking to rediscover form.Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat first, with Hardik Pandya saying the team wanted to “give another opportunity to the batters to score runs” after an inconsistent campaign. MI also handed a debut to young leg-spinner Raghu Sharma, while Krish Bhagat returned to the XI.Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted he would have preferred to bat first but backed his side to adapt on what he described as a dry surface. CSK made two changes, bringing in Ramakrishna Ghosh and Prashant Veer in place of Gurjapneet Singh and Akeal Hosein.Despite the big names on both sides, several players have struggled this season. Jasprit Bumrah has managed only two wickets in eight matches, while both Gaikwad and Suryakumar Yadav have crossed fifty just once and scored under 200 runs so far. Hardik Pandya too has endured a below-par season with both bat and ball.CSK’s fortunes this year have largely revolved around Sanju Samson, whose runs at the top have powered most of their victories. Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis are yet to consistently make an impact, while Sarfaraz Khan has failed to convert starts into meaningful scores.Mumbai’s issues have been even deeper. Despite three individual centuries this season, only one has come in a winning cause. Their bowling has struggled badly, with MI picking up only 38 wickets in eight games and conceding runs at a tournament-worst economy of 10.90.Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh ChoudharyImpact Subs: Kartik Sharma, Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Gurjapneet SinghMumbai Indians (Playing XI): Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Robin Minz, Trent Boult, Krish Bhagat, Jasprit Bumrah, AM GhazanfarImpact Subs: Raj Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Ashwani Kumar
