CSK Vs MI, IPL Player Of The Match: Who Won POTM Award Yesterday In Indian Premier League 2026 Match 44

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kartik Sharma slammed half-centuries to guide Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to an eight-wicket win over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in match 44 of the Indian Premier League 2026 in Chennai on Saturday, May 2.

With this win, CSK have climbed one step up in the points table at the 6th spot, pushing down DC (7th). They now have 8 points from nine matches, with four wins and five losses.

Meanwhile, it was MI's third straight loss and seventh loss of the season. They have got themselves almost out of the playoff race as they now can go to a maximum of 14 points, which doesn't eliminate them mathematically, but their chances look very bleak from here.

Ruturaj Gaikwad - Player Of The Match

After an initial dry run, Ruturaj Gaikwad has finally picked up steam, scoring two back-to-back fifties as the tournament heads towards the business end. While the last one came in a losing cause, the unbeaten knock of 67 off 48 balls proved to be a match-winning one.

Gaikwad slammed five fours and two sixes during his innings and took his side home in a comfortable chase of 160 runs with eight wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.

The CSK captain maintained his composure throughout the chase and first stitched a 49-run stand with Urvil Patel (24), followed by a match-winning 98-run stand with Kartik Sharma (54*), who also brought up his maiden IPL half-century.

Ruturaj Gaikwad was announced the 'Player of the Match' for his majestic knock, which played a crucial role in CSK's much-needed win.

MI won the toss and chose to bat first. At one point in time, it seemed like a good decision when they were cruising at 99/2 in 10.3 overs. But once Suryakumar Yadav fell for 21 off 12 balls, their batting crumbled against CSK's bowling attack and could manage only 60 runs in the next 57 balls and were restricted at 159/9 in 20 overs.