Clash of Titans: Rohit & Dhoni Reignite IPL’s Greatest Rivalry

They first shared a playing field on October 1, 2006, when Rohit Sharma played for India Red and MS Dhoni for India Blue in the 50-overs Challenger Trophy, in Chennai. That was the first of 652 matches across formats that they've been involved in either as team-mates or opponents. On Thursday, nearly 20 years on from that first meeting, there's a chance that Rohit and Dhoni will occupy the same patch of turf again. There is a chance Rohit could be fit to start after missing Mumbai Indians' (MI) last two games with a hamstring issue. And Dhoni could play his first game of IPL 2026 if Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) training sessions are anything to go by: he has not only batted but even kept wickets (which he never practised in the nets even at his peak), suggesting he could be readying his troublesome calves for match action. It's a testament to both players that they remain the faces of their franchises even in 2026, but it can also be read as a bit of an indictment, a symbol of how far the IPL's two most successful teams have fallen behind other, more futuristic line-ups that are now setting the terms. But results can unduly colour the way teams are perceived, and MI and CSK could both consider themselves better than their position on the IPL 2026 points table - six games each, two wins each - would suggest. CSK might wonder how their season might look had they not suffered so many injuries, the latest of which has ended the season of their top run-getter so far, Ayush Mhatre (201 runs at a strike rate of 177.87). They've used 18 players across their six games, and a 19th - Dhoni? - could come in on Thursday. Over recent matches, Pitch 7 at the Wankhede has defied the venue's reputation in multiple ways. It hasn't been particularly high-scoring (the last six T20s here have produced an average first-innings total of 179), it has tended to favour the team batting first (four wins and two losses in these six games, with the run rate dipping from 8.98 in the first innings to 8.57 in the second), and spinners have been significantly more economical (economy rate of 7.71) than the fast bowlers (9.38). For all that, though, the team winning the toss is still likely to want to chase given Mumbai's propensity for dew, which will be heightened by daytime temperatures approaching the mid-30s (Celsius).