Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians Prediction & Preview – IPL 2026 44th Match

Chennai Super Kings welcome Mumbai Indians to Chepauk with their season on the line. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side have won just three of eight and were beaten by eight wickets by Gujarat Titans last time, a game that again exposed their bowling. This is effectively a must-win fixture.

Gaikwad made 74 in that defeat and will look to open again with Sanju Samson, while Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube need to improve on a quiet middle-order display. Jamie Overton and Kartik Sharma add late hitting. In the attack, Akeal Hosein and Anshul Kamboj must find early wickets, with Overton and Noor Ahmad holding the middle overs.

Mumbai are already out of the playoff race after a six-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, in which they could not defend 243. Ryan Rickelton hit 123 in that game and will want a quick start alongside Will Jacks, with Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir and Hardik Pandya hoping to rediscover form. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult must be sharper with the new ball, and AM Ghazanfar’s variations could be important.

Probable playing XI

Pitch report

Chepauk is traditionally slow and dry, and the surface grips and turns more as the game goes on. Batting is easier early, but strokeplay gets harder later, and spinners control the middle overs. Seamers do best with cutters and variations rather than raw pace. Totals of 150–170 are usually competitive, and many teams prefer to bat first.

Weather

Around 7:30 pm in Chennai the evening is expected to be warm and humid, with temperatures of 29–31°C and mostly clear skies. The chance of rain is very small. A sea breeze may give slight relief, and some dew could develop later on.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 170–190
• 2nd innings: 160–180

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