CHENNAI: There are Indian Premier League (IPL) rivalries, good IPL rivalries and then there is the IPL El Clasico – the biggest of them all.
While both teams, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, might find themselves reeling at the foot of the IPL 2026 points table, the fixture still remains widely celebrated.
Cast back your memories as a kid. There’s a very good chance that you sat yourself in one position hoping (or in some cases, praying) that your team outplays the other. If CSK started the trophy trend in 2010, with back-to-back titles, MI caught up sooner or later, finishing the decade with five titles of their own.
One thing that always ensued, whether you were watching from Chennai supporting MI, or from Thane, supporting CSK, was that there was always this growing tension during the clash. There’s a good chance that you would have chewed your nails off, watching Kieron Pollard torment the team in yellow, or MS Dhoni finishing things off in style against the Men in Blue.
Usually, both teams head into this fixture on a high but as it has turned out over the past few years, CSK find themselves in a bit of muddle. A confusion you may add, given the injury-ridden campaign that they have had. Not to forget, their captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad isn’t in the greatest of forms – which adds to the franchise’s pressure.
MI found themselves in a similar position not too long ago but briefly were able to escape after their 99-run win over Gujarat Titans, on Monday. But what makes this rivalry much more decorated than the other is how each team finds ways to outmaneuver and tactically outplay each other.
While things are falling right in place for Mumbai, the same can’t be said about the struggling Super Kings, who need more than just a change given their position at the foot of the IPL 2026 table.
Will CSK employ a different approach? Especially now that their powerplay woes with the bat are set to grow after Ayush Mhatre’s injury. In plain sight, such a setback should open up the opportunity for hard-hitting Urvil Patel, who in his limited IPL experience, has shown that he’s capable of hitting the ball a long way.
Matthew Short who was picked more as a match-up option to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s left-handed trio – Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan – will most likely sit on the bench for this one. Will that open the gate for Akeal Hosein’s return, a left-arm spinner to possibly counter Suryakumar Yadav, and have Mumbai’s middle-order on the lookout?
The hosts too have some combinations to look at, do they continue playing the uncapped Ashwani Kumar and Krish Bhagat, or do they possibly look at the returning Will Jacks to provide a different dynamic to their setup – with both his power-hitting abilities and off-spin. Does that then mean that Jasprit Bumrah will continue to open the bowling for the five-time champions?
However, what truly sets this rivalry apart from the others is the business aspect.
Just last year, despite delivering an underwhelming encounter (as per El Clasico’s standards), the fixture helped IPL see its biggest-ever opening weekend, with 163 million, a whopping 16.3 crore live viewers, with a 9.2 TVR (Television Rating).
It wasn’t the first either, just a year prior to this clash, the more entertaining El Clasico, the one where Rohit Sharma hit a century in the run chase, saw a viewership of 174 million (17.4 crore) on television, and 715 million (71.5 crore) on JioCinema (the official platform back then), with a peak concurrent viewership of 63 million (6.3 crore).
In short, a game between these two sides sells, irrespective of it being a closely fought contest, or a dreaded one-sided fixture, and that trend is set to continue on Thursday too. Quite possibly for one last season too, given that MS Dhoni is 44, and injuries aren’t any kinder at this age.