IPL 2026 | Match 44: CSK vs MI | Preview and Predictions

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to inflict a league-stage double over an embattled and beleaguered Mumbai Indians (MI) side as the two most successful sides in Indian Premier League history face off again in Match 44 of the 2026 IPL season.

For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.

IPL 2026 | Match 44: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians | 19:30, May 2, 2026

The Super Kings were flying high after what they believed was a statement victory over the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, only to be brought down to harsh reality by being pummelled into submission by the Gujarat Titans in a comprehensive eight-wicket loss at home.

The CSK batting that was so fluent and elegant in its execution against MI failed to turn up against GT. Barring Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was also laboured and sluggish in his 60-ball 74, the rest of the batters turned up an absolute cropper in the face of some disciplined and accurate bowling by the Titans.

CSK were also unable to rouse themselves with the ball, with Sai Sudharsan taking their bowlers apart with a mix of classy elegance and measured aggression. Akeal Hosein, who was splendid against MI, had no answers for Sudharsan, who took the attack to him in stunning fashion. While the others were fairly economical, they were just not able to put the pressure on the Titans as they failed to chip in with wickets, meaning GT eventually overhauled an under-par target with relative ease.

CSK will be hoping that this night game against MI brings about a change in their fortunes, especially given they have managed to regularly get the better of them in recent times.

For the Mumbai Indians, the defeat against SunRisers Hyderabad was another case of their season crashing to another low, just when it felt that it could not go any lower. A fourth straight loss at the Wankhede has massively dented their aura of invincibility at home, while also putting them in a scenario where they now have to win every game, and even then they will not be guaranteed a play-off berth.

Against SRH, for once the MI batting clicked. Ryan Rickelton scored the fastest IPL hundred in MI history, Will Jacks announced his entry in this season’s IPL with a fiery cameo (46 off 22) of his own to set the tone, while skipper Hardik Pandya also finally showed some signs of life with a 16-ball 31. However, despite scoring 243, it felt like they ended up at least 25–30 runs short, courtesy of a poor spell of batting in the final four overs.

Their bowling once again was brutally exposed, and their fielding was downright atrocious, with Naman Dhir alone dropping three catches, all off Travis Head, allowing him to race to his highest score in the IPL this season. Pandya did turn up with an impressive spell with the ball, but once again it was his captaincy calls that will invite more scrutiny on him.

With MI bouncing back in the game after snaring three wickets in the space of just four runs, the smart move would have been to bring Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack. Instead, Pandya tossed the ball to Ashwani Kumar, who was brutally tonked by Heinrich Klaasen for 22 runs, effectively ending the game.

MI have tried different things, hoping something works out for them. None of the solutions have seemed to work for them, though, and they once again find themselves propped at the foot of the table.

The last time these two sides met, Sanju Samson’s brilliant hundred and Akeal Hosein’s sensational bowling took CSK to a thumping 103-run victory over MI. They will be looking to produce a similar performance at Chepauk tomorrow.

We believe that the Chennai Super Kings are the favourites to do the double over the Mumbai Indians this season and win this game.

Fantasy XI: Sanju Samson (wk & c), Ryan Rickelton, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Will Jacks, Shivam Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Jamie Overton, AM Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Chowdhary, Noor Ahmad

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Winners Prediction: Chennai Super Kings