MI vs CSK: Why Chennai Super Kings are wearing black armbands against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium? Revealed

In a sweet gesture Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players wore black armbands in the memory of fast bowler Mukesh Choudhary's mother, who passed away recently. Mukesh lost his mother three days ago. The CSK pacer performed her last rites and rejoined the squad on Wednesday.

“This one is for Mukesh’s mother. In her memory and in solidarity with Mukesh, we wear black armbands and play with a little more in our hearts today,” CSK said in a statement on Thursday. Based on a Dainik Bhaskar report, Mukesh rushed to his hometown in Bhilwara, Rajasthan after CSK lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18.

Mukesh performed the last rites of his mother alongside elder brother, Dr Rajesh Choudhary. His mother was undergoing treatment at Mumbai’s Tata Hospital. Another OneIndia report stated that Dhoni was in constant touch with Mukesh during the latter's tough 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 wrote earlier on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Mukesh was named in the CSK playing XI against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. So far, Mukesh has played only one game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he picked up two wickets for 21 runs.

MI vs CSK playing XIs

Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary

Mukesh Choudhary's IPL journey

Mukesh's IPL journey started with CSK in 2022 after spending some time with the franchise as a net bowler. However, the debut match didn't go Mukesh's way as the Maharashtra pacer was taken for 39 runs in his 3.3 overs without success. The left-arm pacer bounced back with figures of 3/19 against Mumbai Indians and 4/46 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

However, injuries have hampered his IPL career since then but CSK continued to back the pacer. After his 13 games in IPL 2022, Mukesh missed the 2023 season due to injury. Upon returning, he played three games in the next two seasons.

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