The Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, two five-time IPL 2026 champions, will square off on Thursday. A victory in this game will propel both teams into the top half of the 10-team IPL points table, as they have dropped four of their previous six games. Fans have dubbed this match El Clasico over the years due to the rivalry and legendary past of the two teams. The moniker fits the competition with well-known players on both sides.
But it's not the same this time. The participation of former MI captain Rohit Sharma and former CSK captain MS Dhoni in the match is still up in the air. Due to a hamstring problem, Rohit has missed a few games.

Both Dhoni and Rohit trained on Tuesday, but "it is understood that neither looked fully convinced about their fitness," according to a Cricbuzz report.
Rohit "seems to be having trouble staying fit." He batted on Tuesday night, as he has been doing frequently lately, but it is thought that he is still a long way from match fitness, the article continued.Rohit may have to make the decision at some point, but as of Wednesday, he still seemed to be having fitness issues."We have instructed him to let us know when he is prepared. He hasn't told us anything as of yet. The franchise's CEO, Kasi Viswanathan, stated, "We are waiting to hear from him,"We are still unsure if he will land. He has complete control over it."