Five IPL titles. A talismanic captain who isn’t at the helm anymore. A batting line-up trying to keep up with the ever-increasing run rates. A team that seems to have lost its sheen in recent years, especially since the change in leadership.
Take your pick, whether all of the above holds more true for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) or Mumbai Indians (MI), the two teams that have given the IPL its version of the ‘El Clasico,’ and will face off at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
This rivalry was forged by memorable matches, fuelled by the race to be the IPL’s most successful franchise, and fought by players whose aura hardened the edges of the contest. Those edges have softened in recent seasons. The aura is dimmer now with MS Dhoni not yet taking the field for CSK and Rohit Sharma missing Mi’s last few games. Both former captains are not yet certain to start on Thursday.
It’s still a huge deal among the two massive fan bases, and promos for the game are predictably gung-ho, but the players that made this rivalry what it is have either put on coaching hats or are no longer core to the contest.
It seems like ages ago that Trinidad & Tobago pals Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard would take pot shots at each other in interviews and give each other send-offs, one in CSK yellow the other in MI blue. It’s been 13 years since Lasith Malinga sent down a searing yorker to Michael Hussey in the 2013 final.
Some MI fans might have felt betrayed when Ambati Rayudu, a three-time champion with them in 2013, 2015 and 2017, was snapped up by CSK in 2018. That season began with CSK returning from a two-year suspension and scoring a one-wicket and one-ball-remaining victory against MI. How many IPL games have come close to topping that? Harbhajan Singh, a ten-season veteran with MI, also moved to CSK that year.
The trend of players moving between the teams has continued in recent years too, but Deepak Chahar and Mitchell Santner switching yellow for blue is not quite the same. And Shardul Thakur finally arriving at MI after representing CSK and five other franchises was more of a homecoming for the Mumbai allrounder.
The intensity of the rivalry has also ebbed. Memory of the previous playoff between MI and CSK – that epic 2019 final where MI defended 149 by just one run – has dulled with all the less absorbing contests since then. Their last close encounter was perhaps in 2022, when Rohit was still captain. Dhoni took strike in the final over of a tense chase of 156. Of course he did. With 16 to win off four, he went 6, 4, 2 and 4 off Jaydev Unadkat to stun the crowd at the DY Patil Stadium. Remember Rohit pulling his cap over his face in anguish?
“There’s obviously great history and great rivalry between the two franchises,” CSK bowling coach Eric Simons said on Wednesday. “They’ve been the most successful [sides] and that creates interest. The personalities within the teams as well, I think, play a big role in what piques the public interest. But this tournament has become very balanced. There are no easy games. Every game seems to be a big one.”
The balance Simons speaks of in the league is the closing of the gap between MI, CSK and most of the other teams. MI haven’t made a final since 2020; CSK haven’t made the playoffs in the last two seasons. RCB’s recent success – making the playoffs in 2024 and winning their maiden title in 2025 – has burnished their rivalry with CSK. Among the fans and on social media, that rivalry is staking a claim as the premier IPL rivalry.
While MI still have a line-up featuring legends, CSK had lost their edge over the last two years and are rebuilding. Dhoni is 44 and Rohit will be 39 next week, so the future of this rivalry lies in younger blood.
The ingredients are there. Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah aren’t going anywhere soon. Naman Dhir has emerged as one to watch for MI. CSK brought in Sanju Samson and his passionate fan base, as well as ‘Baby AB’ Dewald Brevis, whose first IPL stint was with MI. Shivam Dube, who smacked 50 off 32 at the Wankhede last season, and Sarfaraz Khan are Mumbai boys making their IPL homes in Chennai. It’s a shame that young Ayush Mhatre has been denied this stage by injury. He too had sparkled with 32 off 15 last year.
A rivalry can only draw so much from legacy and highlight reels. To endure, it needs new stories, new protagonists, new memories. A hard-fought game at the Wankhede will be a start. But in this viral era, all it needs is a spark.
Until then, MI vs CSK will breathe in an in-between space, standing on their trophy trove but searching for their terra nova.
