MI vs CSK: No MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma for IPL's El Clasico as Mumbai Indians opt to bowl against Chennai Super Kings

Mumbai Indians won the toss and skipper Hardik Pandya opted to bowl against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.

Unfortunately for fans, the stalwarts of these two franchises sit out yet again. Rohit Sharma will not be part of the action with MI opting for the same XI. Even MS Dhoni has been left out of the Chennai Super Kings' playing XI.

MI captain Pandya revealed that the green pitch, just like the one they had against KKR, influenced their decision to bowl first, and he expects it to be a good track.

"This pitch looks green, but it did against the KKR game as well, and it played pretty well. It’s going to be a good track," Pandya said at the toss.

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Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted they intended to bowl ahead as well, but it was a 50-50 decision, adding that batting well is all that matters, irrespective of whether one is doing it first or second.

"We would have bowled first as well, but it was a 50-50 call. It looks a good wicket, and coming here at Wankhede Stadium, you have to bat well irrespective of whether you’re batting first or bowling first. So it is just about putting up a great show even if you’re batting first," Gaikwad said.

CSK announced a change in their XI, with Prashant Veer coming in for Matt Short. But Veer is named in the impact subs list, while Kartik Sharma is in the playing squad.

MI vs CSK, IPL 2026 Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar.

Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.