Mukesh Choudhary's mother passes away; CSK extend support

In a heartbreaking development ahead of their crucial IPL 2026 clash, Chennai Super Kings confirmed that pacer Mukesh Choudhary has lost his mother. The franchise shared an emotional message, expressing solidarity with the player and his family during this difficult time.“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,” CSK posted on X.Mukesh is expected to miss today’s match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23. He has already left the team camp in Mumbai to travel to his hometown, Bhilwara, to attend his mother’s last rites.Impactful return cut shortThe left-arm pacer had only recently made his first appearance of the season on April 18 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He impressed immediately, picking up 2 wickets for 21 runs, including key dismissals of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan.Mukesh was drafted into the playing XI as a replacement for Khaleel Ahmed, who has been ruled out of the season with a quadriceps injury. CSK had retained Mukesh for Rs 30 lakh ahead of the 2026 campaign. With Mukesh unavailable, Gurjapneet Singh is likely to come into the playing XI as CSK look to fill the void in their pace attack for the high-stakes encounter. Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Gurjapneet Singh.