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MI vs CSK, IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players wear black armbands during the IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 23. Cricketers often wear black armbands on the field to commemorate a tragic incident that may have occurred in the home country or elsewhere. The black armband that the players will wear on Thursday is a tribute to Mukesh Choudhary’s mother, who passed away.
MI vs CSK, IPL 2026: How did fast bowler Mukesh Choudhary’s mother die?
Choudhary, the left-arm speedster, played his first IPL 2026 game against SunRisers Hyderabad and posted credible figures of 2-0-21-2, albeit in a losing cause. Overall, the 29-year-old seamer has taken 19 wickets at 28.58 in 17 matches and was in line to play against Mumbai Indians on Thursday. But tragically, his mother died of a chronic illness, forcing him to leave the squad.
Chennai Super Kings’ official handle on X announced that their players would wear black armbands
This one is for Mukesh’s mother.
In their memory and in solidarity with Mukesh, today we wear black armbands and play with something more in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/OKk6bmPK4e— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 23, 2026
Chennai Super Kings are under pressure ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians
Meanwhile, the Yellow Army is under a lot of pressure ahead of the game against Mumbai Indians. Despite having shared ten IPL titles, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are 7th and 8th respectively in the points table. Mumbai Indians started their campaign with a big win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium. But they have suffered four consecutive defeats against Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), leaving them looking completely out of their depth. But Hardik Pandya and Co. registered an NRR-boosting 99-run win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Monday, April 20, to bounce back.
As for the Super Kings, their campaign began with three straight defeats before registering two straight wins over Delhi Capitals and Knight Riders. But the loss to the SunRisers set them back again. At the time of writing, Super Kings had lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (22) and Sarfaraz Khan (14) but had a healthy run rate.
Also read: No MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma: Has an IPL match between MI and CSK taken place without any of the legends?
