Chennai Super Kings India won by eight wickets to complete the double over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in Match 44 of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 02.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, MI suffered an early blow as Anshul Kamboj dismissed Will Jacques early while Ramakrishna Ghosh took a brilliant catch. Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dheer took over MI's innings with a partnership of 58 runs off 33 balls, but the opener was out on 37 off the bowling of Noor Ahmed. Naman Dhir led the Mumbai Indians innings by scoring 57 runs in 37 balls. They were never able to take their innings forward and ended at 159/7. Kamboj finished with figures of 3/32 in the match.
In reply, Super Kings also suffered an early blow when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Sanju Samson in the second over of the game. Ruturaj Gaikwad At the other end, there was a stellar performance from Urvil Patel, who played a quickfire inning of 24 runs in 12 balls before becoming the victim of AM Ghazanfar. Gaikwad and Karthik Sharma made an unbeaten 98-run partnership on 75 balls to give Super Kings victory with 11 balls to spare. Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 67 off 48 balls, while Karthik remained unbeaten on 54 off 40 balls, his first half-century of the season.
talking points:
1. Ruturaj has maintained his excellent form
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 74 runs in 60 balls in the last game against Gujarat Titans and played a brilliant innings against Mumbai Indians scoring unbeaten 67 runs in 48 balls. After the fall of Sanju Samson, the Super Kings captain took on the Mumbai bowlers and made sure he was there at the end when his team secured the win. It was an innings of class, a common theme of Ruturaj's best innings, which included five fours and two big sixes.
2. Karthik Sharma achieved the first important milestone of IPL
After being picked up at a whopping price of Rs 14.2 crore in the 2026 auction, Karthik Sharma has had a slow start to the season. But against Mumbai Indians, he remained till the end scoring unbeaten 54 runs in 40 balls. His innings came at a time when Super Kings needed a platform after losing two wickets. He chose his matchups carefully, and with four fours and three sixes, he showed glimpses of the brilliance that forced the Super Kings to come to the auction table.
3. Is MI's batting form a matter of concern?
Suryakumar Yadav scored 21 runs in 12 balls, Tilak Verma managed to score one point and Hardik Pandya scored 18 runs in 23 balls. The star batsmen of Mumbai Indians have not had any significant impact so far this season. Barring Tilak's brilliant century against the Titans and Suryakumar's opening half against Delhi Capitals, this trio has not been able to get going this season, and Mumbai Indians have struggled with the bat of late.
4. Mumbai Indians out of IPL 2026?
With just two wins from nine matches, MI are almost out of the playoff race. It is impossible for them to reach the mark of 16 points, which would guarantee them qualification. Although they can qualify with 14 points, it will require a tough effort to increase the net run rate and swing other results in their favour.
who said what?
Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians captain:
“Not the season. They played better, they bowled better, batted better and fielded better. At one point, we were looking to get 180-190. We couldn't get the momentum after the first 10 overs and we couldn't even get the finish. It wasn't easy to go straight and play our shots. It was more about playing calculated cricket.
“The batsmen couldn't get under the ball. They bowled better and our batting wasn't good. I don't know how aggressive we could have been. We had to fireball at them. Whatever bowling options we had, we tried. They played smart cricket.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings captain and player of the match
“Feels good (on the win). We started really well, in the first few overs, they took the momentum and we pulled it back. It was about getting through the first few overs and then being one of the top three out there. He (Kamboj) is someone who is making it really simple, sticking to the process and his mind is thinking like a batsman's mind. Noor has made some adjustments and has come along really well.
“(With Akil not playing) we thought about how to get the balance right, how to get the batsman at number eight and the extra bowlers. Veer and Ghosh are guys who can contribute with both of them, they provide extra help with the batting and also bowl a few overs. It feels good to be there till the end. As I always say, I was feeling good, feeling confident, but this is T20 cricket. I am in a good mental frame and it is only a matter of time.
“(Regarding Karthik Sharma) good confidence booster for him and us. Yes, he is a six-hitter but he has got another game too but he picks and chooses special balls. Great sign for us because Mr Cricket said he is someone who can be great for us if he moves forward. We are keeping it really simple, there will be mistakes but make sure we come back stronger, give everything for the jersey and the fans.”
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