- By Sports desk
- Sat, 02 May 2026 04:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif reckons that Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) have a slight advantage over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) going into their IPL 2026 match 44 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He said MI look stronger on paper because of their experienced players and match-winners, even though their form has been shaky.
“On paper, the Mumbai Indians look stronger than the Chennai Super Kings because they have a lot of match winners and experienced campaigners in their side,” Kaif told Jio Hotstar.
At the same time, Kaif admitted that MI’s recent performances have been a concern, especially their inability to finish games.
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“But when you look at recent form, a lot of questions get raised because MI haven’t been winning many games. That said, on their day, if they play a dominant brand of cricket, they can be very hard to stop,” he added.
Where CSK is lacking in IPL 2026?
Talking about CSK, Kaif pointed out that the team has been too dependent on Sanju Samson, and others need to step up if they want better results.
“Chennai, on the other hand, have only had Sanju Samson firing so far. They are relying heavily on his performances to win games,” he observed.
CSK and MI's performance in IPL 2026 so far
CSK are coming into this match after a six-day break. In their last game, they lost to Gujarat Titans at Chepauk by eight wickets. Their batting struggled badly, managing only 158 runs, which GT chased down comfortably.
CSK are currently sixth on the points table with three wins and five losses from eight matches. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are also under pressure after a surprising loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Even after scoring a huge 243 runs, their bowlers failed to defend the total, and they lost by six wickets. MI are placed ninth in the table with just two wins from eight matches and are now in a must-win situation to keep their season alive.
Will Rohit, Dhoni feature in MI vs CSK Clash?
Notably, MS Dhoni is yet to feature for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing IPL 2026, the wicketkeeper batter missed out the ongoing tournament due to calf injury that he got during the training sessions before the tournament and he will most likely to miss the upcoming MI clash.
On the other hand, Rohit got injured while batting against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their IPL 2026 and since than the destructive batter has not featured in the tournament. However his participation against CSK will be decided during the toss against CSK.