Rohit Sharma (Photo Courtesy: Mumbai Indians)

As Mumbai Indians prepare to face Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23, 2026, there is uncertainty over the availability of Rohit Sharma, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.The decision on Rohit’s participation will be taken just before the toss, with the team management keeping a close eye on his fitness ahead of the high-profile clash. Encouraging signals are coming from the Mumbai Indians camp. Rohit was seen batting in the nets during a controlled training session on Wednesday. However, ESPNcricinfo suggests that he mostly endured throwdowns and avoided big shots during his 25-minute stint, indicating a cautious approach in his recovery.He has already been ruled out of MI’s last two matches against Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans due to the injury he suffered on April 12 earlier this month. If Rohit is deemed fit for batting but not for fielding, MI can use him as an impact player to manage their workload. This will allow the team to utilize his batting strength without the risk of putting too much strain on his hamstrings.If Rohit is unavailable, Danish Malewar is likely to continue as the opening batsman with Quinton de Kock filling in during his absence.

A key figure against CSK

Rohit Sharma is the leading run-scorer in the history of the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings rivalry with 913 runs in 31 matches. Having crossed 500 IPL runs alone against CSK at the Wankhede Stadium, they have a significant advantage at the venue today.Mumbai Indians (MI) currently lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 21-18 in their total of 39 head-to-head encounters in the IPL till April 2026. Including their matches from the discontinued Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), the record is 22–19 in 41 meetings. These teams have met in a record four IPL finals (2010, 2013, 2015 and 2019). MI has won three of those four championship encounters (2013, 2015 and 2019). Although MI is historically ahead, CSK have been more successful recently, winning 5 of their last 6 meetings between 2022 and early 2025. ​​MI won the most recent match on 20 April 2025 by 9 wickets.