Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Players of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wore black armbands during their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday as a mark of respect following the passing of pacer Mukesh Choudhary’s mother.

The franchise confirmed earlier in the day that Choudhary’s mother had passed on Tuesday after battling illness for a long time. In a message shared by the team, CSK expressed their condolences and support for the young pacer and his family during the difficult period.

“The CSK family mourns the passing of Mukesh Choudhary’s mother. We stand with Mukesh and his family, keeping them in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” the franchise said.

In a show of solidarity, the entire team took the field wearing black armbands. The gesture was aimed at honouring the memory of Choudhary’s mother and standing by their teammate in his time of grief.

Despite the personal loss, Choudhary rejoined the squad ahead of the clash and was included in the playing XI for the match against the Mumbai Indians, reflecting his commitment to the team.

Mukesh has played only one match for the franchise in IPL 2026, where he took two crucial wickets of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Mukesh made his debut for CSK in 2022 in the IPL, taking 16 wickets in that season. Known for swinging the new ball, he has 19 total wickets in 17 matches across his IPL career, with best figures of 4/46.

Speaking of the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad, captain of Chennai Super Kings, lost the toss and his side was asked to bat first by Hardik Pandya of the Mumbai Indians. Mumbai went in with the same playing XI as their previous game, which meant Rohit Sharma missed his third consecutive match due to a hamstring issue.

Meanwhile, veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni is yet to recover from a calf strain and did not feature in the high-profile clash. The 44-year-old, who had been training with the squad ahead of the game, continues to wait for his first appearance of the IPL 2026 season.

–IANS

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