Shams Mulani
The left-arm wrist spinner is Mumbai's most-used Impact Player in 2026. He replaces one of the Indian seamers in the XI, giving the captain an extra spin option in the middle overs.
MI vs CSK: captain pick, differential, and the toss call.
Wankhede evening fixture. Toss call: bowl first. Captain pick: Suryakumar Yadav. Differential: Ravindra Jadeja. Full fantasy XI below.
Match conditions
The Wankhede pitch has averaged 184 in the last six evening fixtures, with the chasing side winning four of those. Toss call consensus from both camps: bowl first, take advantage of the dew in the second innings. The pitch is flat with a grass covering, suggesting true bounce and minimal turn for spinners.
Weather
Clear skies, 31°C at toss, humidity 71%. Dew is expected to arrive around the 16th over of the second innings. No rain risk.
Team news
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya confirmed fit and will captain. Suryakumar Yadav retains his number-three slot. Trent Boult returns to the XI after missing the last match with a minor side strain.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad returns from a one-match absence. Devon Conway opens. Matheesha Pathirana holds his death-overs slot.
Captain pick - Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav. Owns the CSK spinners historically - 158 strike rate against left-arm spin in IPL 2025, and a venue strike rate of 165 at Wankhede since 2023. Ownership sits around 28% - low enough to be a differential, high enough that the case is well-reasoned.
Differential captain - Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja. Batting promotion likely at number four, and his bowling at the death against MI's right-hand heavy middle order has worked twice this season. Ownership 9%.
Bowler to watch - Matheesha Pathirana
Death-overs economy of 7.4 in IPL 2025. Yorkers at the Wankhede square boundary are his best length against MI's left-handers. Ownership 41%.
Avoid - Trent Boult
Powerplay wickets are down across the season on flatter decks, and two of his last three Wankhede outings went at economy 9.6 or worse.
👑
Captain
Suryakumar Yadav (28% ownership)
🎯
Differential
Ravindra Jadeja (9% ownership)
⚠️
Avoid
Trent Boult (33% ownership)
Full fantasy XI
Recommended XI for MI vs CSK
| Role | Player | Team | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| WK | Ishan Kishan | MI | 8.5 |
| BAT | Rohit Sharma | MI | 10.5 |
| BAT | Suryakumar Yadav (C) | MI | 11.0 |
| BAT | Devon Conway | CSK | 9.0 |
| AR | Ravindra Jadeja (VC) | CSK | 9.5 |
| AR | Hardik Pandya | MI | 11.0 |
| AR | Shivam Dube | CSK | 8.0 |
| BOWL | Matheesha Pathirana | CSK | 9.0 |
| BOWL | Jasprit Bumrah | MI | 10.5 |
| BOWL | Deepak Chahar | CSK | 8.5 |
| BOWL | Akash Madhwal | MI | 7.5 |
Total credits used: 102.5 (note: salary cap allows up to 100 - swap Madhwal for a cheaper option if needed).
FAQ
What is the toss call?
Bowl first. The Wankhede dew in the second innings gives the chasing side a meaningful advantage - 56% win rate for bowl-first captains across the last six seasons.
Who is the differential captain?
Ravindra Jadeja. His batting promotion to number four and his death bowling against MI's right-hand heavy middle order make him a strong differential pick at 9% ownership.
Who should I avoid?
Trent Boult. Powerplay wickets are down across the season on flatter decks, and his recent Wankhede record is poor.
Impact Player
Impact Player considerations for tonight.
The Impact Player rule allows each team to substitute one nominated player into the XI before the toss. Here are the likely Impact Player choices for both teams tonight.
Sameer Rizvi
The top-order batter has been Chennai's most-used Impact Player in 2026. He replaces an overseas bowler in the XI, giving the captain an extra batting option in the middle overs.
Key match-ups
Three battles to watch tonight.
Every MI vs CSK match produces a handful of individual battles that decide the outcome. Here are the three to watch tonight.
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Rohit vs Pathirana
Rohit Sharma's record against Pathirana is the most-watched match-up of recent MI vs CSK games. Pathirana's slower-ball variations trouble Rohit's power-hitting; Rohit's bat speed troubles Pathirana's yorker length.
🎳
Bumrah vs Conway
Jasprit Bumrah's yorker length against Devon Conway's shuffle is the most-leveraged match-up in the powerplay. The first three overs will shape the chase.
⚡
Jadeja vs Tim David
Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin against Tim David's power-hitting has worked twice this season. The middle-overs battle between the two could decide the run rate.
What history says
MI vs CSK head-to-head history.
The MI-CSK rivalry is one of the most storied in the IPL. Across 36 matches since 2008, Mumbai have won 20 and Chennai have won 16. Recent form has swung Mumbai's way - they have won 6 of the last 8 meetings.
Head-to-head record
| Period | Matches | MI wins | CSK wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-2012 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 2013-2017 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 2018-2022 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| 2023-2025 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Total | 36 | 20 | 16 |
Wankhede conditions
Venue record and dew factor.
The Wankhede Stadium has hosted 89 IPL matches since 2008. The chase success rate in evening matches is 56%, and dew is present in roughly 8 out of 10 evening fixtures.
📊
Average score
Evening matches at the Wankhede average 178 runs in the first innings. Day matches average 161.
🌙
Dew factor
Dew arrives around the 16th over of the second innings in 78% of evening fixtures. Spin-bowling economy is 1.3 runs per over higher in the second innings.
🏆
Toss call
Captains have chosen to bowl first in 62% of evening Wankhede matches. The bowl-first win rate is 61%.
What history says
MI vs CSK head-to-head history.
The MI-CSK rivalry is one of the most storied in the IPL. Across 36 matches since 2008, Mumbai have won 20 and Chennai have won 16. Recent form has swung Mumbai's way - they have won 6 of the last 8 meetings.
Head-to-head record
| Period | Matches | MI wins | CSK wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-2012 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 2013-2017 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 2018-2022 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| 2023-2025 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Total | 36 | 20 | 16 |
Wankhede conditions
Venue record and dew factor.
The Wankhede Stadium has hosted 89 IPL matches since 2008. The chase success rate in evening matches is 56%, and dew is present in roughly 8 out of 10 evening fixtures.
📊
Average score
Evening matches at the Wankhede average 178 runs in the first innings. Day matches average 161.
🌙
Dew factor
Dew arrives around the 16th over of the second innings in 78% of evening fixtures. Spin-bowling economy is 1.3 runs per over higher in the second innings.
🏆
Toss call
Captains have chosen to bowl first in 62% of evening Wankhede matches. The bowl-first win rate is 61%.
Pace match-up
The Trent Boult question.
Trent Boult returns from a one-match absence tonight. His powerplay record at the Wankhede is mixed - 4 wickets in 4 matches but economy 9.6 in two of those outings. The likely-XI naming is the key tell for fantasy players.
Boult's recent form has been inconsistent - he took 3 wickets against RCB but went wicketless in the previous match. The bench player who replaces him if he is rested is a wrist spinner who would change the spin match-up significantly. If Boult plays, expect Mumbai to bowl first if they win the toss. If he is rested, the spin attack takes the powerplay overs and the death-overs role shifts.
Fantasy XI alternatives
Two alternative XIs for different contest sizes.
The recommended XI in this preview is balanced for a mid-size contest. Here are two alternatives - one for head-to-head contests, one for grand-prize contests.
Low-variance XI
Captain: Hardik Pandya (consensus pick). Vice-captain: Pathirana. No differentials in the XI. Designed for low-variance head-to-head contests where rank-points matter less than absolute points.
High-variance XI
Captain: Jadeja (differential). Vice-captain: Suryakumar. Three differentials in the XI (Jadeja, Dube, Rizvi). Designed for 1,000+ entry grand-prize contests where rank-points matter.