IPL: Mumbai Indians to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in ‘El Clasico’ clash

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday in Mumbai.

It’s the biggest and most anticipated clash of the season as five-time champions Mumbai Indians take on fellow five-time winners Chennai Super Kings. Widely regarded as the most iconic rivalry in the Indian Premier League, this blockbuster encounter is often dubbed the league’s very own “El Clasico.”

Both teams are in the bottom half of the table. Mumbai broke a four-game losing streak in their previous outing and comes in with a bit of momentum, while Chennai are still searching for consistency.

Toss update from Mumbai @mipaltan won the toss and elected to bowl first against @ChennaiIPL

Updates https://t.co/gGt34dqUoq#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/nDH0Nw23eD

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 23, 2026

“We are gonna bowl first. A lot of boxes were ticked, intensity was there, we needed that game where everyone comes in and chips in. There was a conscious effort that intensity is in your hands, we wanted to just have fun, and things went our way. It looks green, but it played really well. Same team,” Pandya said at the toss.

“We would have bowled first as well. It was a 50-50 call. You have to bat well at Wankhede. We are not able to cash in in a couple of moments, we have to make sure we cash in and get that win. We are ready to go. All thanks to the legend (Dhoni), who is not here unfortunately. Hopefully, we will make them happy tonight,” CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said.

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

MI Impact subs: Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Shardul Thakur, Danish Malewar, Mayank Markande.

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

CSK Impact subs: Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Matt Henry, Akeal Hosein, Urvil Patel. (ANI)