MI XI against CSK | Predicted Chennai Super Kings playing 11 against Chennai Super Kings for 44th Match of IPL 2026

The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) oldest rivalry will resume once again when the Mumbai Indians (MI) travel to the MA Chidambaram Stadium to face the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday, May 2. 

MI will desperately want a win to not only avenge their defeat against the Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium from earlier this season, but also to get back to winning ways, having lost four out of their last five games. They are coming into the game on the back of a six-wicket defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, where they lost despite scoring 243 in the first innings. 

There were some positive signs for MI in their previous game, which included the excellent opening partnership between Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton, along with the all-rounder display of their captain Hardik Pandya.

However, MI’s bowling remains underpar, with both Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult not being amongst the wickets while struggling to stop the flow of runs. 

Here is MI’s strongest predicted XI vs CSK, Match 44, IPL 2026:

Top Order: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Naman Dhir

MI tried a new opening pair in their previous game against SRH, and luckily for them, it clicked. Ryan Rickelton registered the highest individual score in the history of the franchise when he scored 123 not out from just 55 balls. Rohit Sharma, however, continues to remain a big miss for the five-time champions and is expected to miss another game or two.

Naman Dhir has just lost his way a little in the last two matches, but has previously registered scores of 45 and 50 earlier in the season.