When Chennai Super Kings meet Mumbai Indians, India stops watching everything else. Ten IPL titles between them. Four finals against each other. A head-to-head record that has swung back and forth for nearly two decades. The Dhoni era versus the Rohit era. Yellow versus Blue. This is not just cricket; this is the El Clásico of the IPL, and no rivalry in T20 history comes close to matching it for drama, consistency, or sheer star power.
Whether you bleed yellow or blue, this quiz will test how well you really know the greatest rivalry the IPL has ever produced. Twenty questions. No bluffing. Let us find out which side you truly understand better.
The Rivalry That Defined an Era
The very first ball of the very first season of IPL cricket in 2008 set the tone for what was to come. The spark for the CSK-MI rivalry was lit at their first IPL meeting, when a stacked CSK batting order fired to rack up a massive 208 for five, with opener Matthew Hayden’s belligerent 81 setting the base before Suresh Raina’s fifty and MS Dhoni’s cameo put MI under pressure. Mumbai needed 19 to win in the final over but managed only 12, as CSK won by six runs.
That first match established everything: the high scores, the last-over drama, and the sense that when these two teams meet, normal T20 cricket rules do not apply.
Both teams have played a total of 41 IPL games. In these games, MI have won 22 matches, while CSK have won 19. On paper, Mumbai have the edge. But every CSK fan will point out that the rivalry runs far deeper than a simple wins column.
Head-to-Head at a Glance
| Stat | MI | CSK |
| Total wins (all IPL) | 22 | 19 |
| IPL titles | 5 | 5 |
| Finals played against each other | 4 | 4 |
| Finals won against each other | 3 | 1 |
| Highest score in the rivalry | 219/6 | 208/5 |
| Top run-scorer in the rivalry | Rohit Sharma | Suresh Raina |
| Top wicket-taker in the rivalry | Lasith Malinga (37) | Dwayne Bravo (37) |
Section 1: The Basics (Q1–Q5)
If you have watched even a handful of IPL seasons, these should come naturally.
Q1 How many times have CSK and MI met in an IPL final?
- A) 2
- B) 3
- C) 4
- D) 5
Answer: C) 4 CSK and MI have met in the IPL final four times: 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2019. No other pair of IPL teams has faced each other in as many finals, making this the most contested championship rivalry in the league’s history.
Q2 How many IPL titles has each team won?
- A) MI: 4, CSK: 5
- B) MI: 5, CSK: 5
- C) MI: 5, CSK: 4
- D) MI: 6, CSK: 4
Answer: B) MI: 5, CSK: 5 CSK is the joint-most successful side, along with MI, with five titles each to their name. MI won theirs in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. CSK won in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
Q3 What nickname is the CSK vs MI clash commonly given, borrowed from Spanish football?
- A) The Derby
- B) El Clasico
- C) The Grand Final
- D) The Super Fixture
Answer: B) El Clasico The IPL’s El Clasico between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians is a showdown between the two most successful teams of the league. The name is borrowed from the legendary Real Madrid vs Barcelona fixture, and cricket fans feel the comparison is entirely justified.
Q4 Who leads the all-time run-scoring chart in the CSK vs MI head-to-head?
- A) MS Dhoni
- B) Suresh Raina
- C) Rohit Sharma
- D) Sachin Tendulkar
Answer: C) Rohit Sharma, MI’s Rohit Sharma, is the highest run-scorer in this rivalry with 913 runs. He has scored those runs at big moments in important matches. He is also the only active player to score a century in this fixture, hitting 105 not out for MI in 2012.
Q5 Which two bowlers share the record for most wickets in the CSK vs MI head-to-head, with 37 wickets each?
- A) Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin
- B) Mitchell McClenaghan and Dwayne Bravo
- C) Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo
- D) Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar
Answer: C) Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo. MI’s Lasith Malinga and CSK’s Dwayne Bravo both hold the record for most wickets in the rivalry, with 37 wickets each, two bowlers from opposing teams with the same wicket tally. The symmetry suits the rivalry perfectly.
Section 2: The Finals (Q6–Q10)
Four finals between the same two teams. Everyone is a classic. How well do you remember them?
Q6 Which team won the first IPL final between CSK and MI in 2010, and by how many runs?
- A) MI won by 6 runs
- B) CSK won by 5 wickets
- C) CSK won by 22 runs
- D) MI won by 23 runs
Answer: C) CSK won by 22 runs. In the 2010 final, CSK outplayed MI, winning by 22 runs and lifting their maiden IPL trophy. Suresh Raina’s 57 off 35 balls and the spin duo of Ashwin and Muralitharan, who conceded just 41 runs in 8 overs between them, were the architects of the win.
Q7 By how many runs did MI beat CSK in the 2013 IPL final to win their first-ever title?
- A) 1 run
- B) 10 runs
- C) 23 runs
- D) 41 runs
Answer: C) 23 runs Mumbai Indians won the 2013 final by 23 runs to win their first-ever IPL title. MS Dhoni made an unbeaten 63 in a losing cause, but Dwayne Bravo’s 4/42 could not prevent the Mumbai Indians from defending 148 on that famous night at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Q8 In the 2015 IPL final between MI and CSK, who was named Man of the Match as MI crushed CSK by 41 runs?
- A) Lasith Malinga
- B) Lendl Simmons
- C) Rohit Sharma
- D) Kieron Pollard
Answer: C) Rohit Sharma, Mumbai defeated Chennai by 41 runs to win their second IPL title. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma was awarded Man of the Match for his innings of 50. Lendl Simmons top-scored with 68 off 45 balls, while Malinga and McClenaghan then dismantled the CSK batting line-up to bowl them out for 161.
Q9 The 2019 IPL Final is one of the most dramatic in history. Who bowled the final delivery that sealed MI’s one-run win over CSK, and who was dismissed?
- A) Bumrah dismissed Dhoni
- B) Malinga dismissed Shardul Thakur
- C) Pandya dismissed Jadeja
- D) Malinga dismissed Dhoni
Answer: B) Malinga dismissed Shardul Thakur. CSK needed 9 runs in the final over. MS Dhoni stood at the crease. Lasith Malinga bowled the last over and delivered a perfect yorker to Shardul Thakur. The ball hit the stumps. MI won by just 1 run. It remains the closest finish in any IPL final in history.
Q10 After the four IPL finals between CSK and MI, what is the current finals head-to-head record?
- A) CSK lead 2–2
- B) CSK lead 3–1
- C) MI lead 3–1
- D) MI lead 4–0
Answer: C) MI lead 3–1 CSK struck first in 2010, beating MI by 22 runs. But MI then won the final in 2013, 2015, and 2019, three in a row. MI now lead 3–1 in the finals against CSK.
Section 3: Records and Stats (Q11–Q15)
Numbers do not lie — but they do surprise.
Q11 What was the lowest total ever scored by CSK against MI in IPL history?
- A) 99
- B) 112
- C) 79
- D) 86
Answer: C) 79 The lowest total in MI vs CSK games is 79, scored by CSK at the Wankhede Stadium, a stunning collapse for one of the most consistent batting line-ups in IPL history.
Q12 How many players have scored centuries in the CSK vs MI head-to-head across all IPL seasons?
- A) Five
- B) Four
- C) Two
- D) None
Answer: C) Only two batters have scored hundreds in MI vs CSK matches. Sanath Jayasuriya smashed 114 not out for MI in 2008. Rohit Sharma followed with 105 not out for MI in 2012. Both centuries came from the Mumbai Indians, which tells you a great deal about how tight and bowling-dominated this rivalry tends to be.
Q13 Who has played the most matches in the CSK vs MI rivalry?
- A) Rohit Sharma
- B) Suresh Raina
- C) MS Dhoni
- D) Kieron Pollard
Answer: C) MS Dhoni CSK’s MS Dhoni has played 37 matches in this rivalry more than anyone else. He has been there from the start and for most of the crucial moments. No player has been more central to this fixture’s identity across its entire history.
Q14 What is the highest score MI have posted against CSK in IPL history?
- A) 203/5
- B) 208/4
- C) 219/6
- D) 232/4
Answer: C) 219/6 Mumbai Indians hold the highest score in their battle against CSK. They scored an enormous 219/6 at the Arun Jaitley Ground in Delhi, their highest against CSK in IPL history.
Q15 In which year did the Mumbai Indians win all four of their encounters against CSK in a single IPL season, including the Qualifier and the final?
- A) 2015
- B) 2017
- C) 2019
- D) 2020
Answer: C) 2019 Mumbai Indians completely dominated CSK in IPL 2019, winning all four encounters, including the IPL final. MI started with a 37-run victory in their first meeting and followed it up with a 46-run win in the second. In Qualifier 1, MI continued their winning streak with a 6-wicket victory, and in the final, they edged past CSK by just 1 run.
Section 4: Iconic Moments (Q16–Q20)
These are the moments that live in the memory of every fan who was watching.
Q16 By what margin did CSK win the very first ever IPL match between the two sides in 2008?
- A) By 1 run
- B) By 3 wickets
- C) By 6 runs
- D) By 10 wickets
Answer: C) By 6 runs, CSK won their first-ever encounter against MI by 6 runs as their total of 208 proved too much for Mumbai in the end. MI needed 19 off the last over and could only manage 12. The pattern of last-over drama that would define this rivalry for the next two decades was set from the very beginning.
Q17 In the 2010 IPL final, which CSK spinner, alongside Muralitharan, bowled a combined 8 overs for just 41 runs to seal CSK’s maiden IPL title against MI?
- A) Harbhajan Singh
- B) Ravichandran Ashwin
- C) Amit Mishra
- D) Imran Tahir
Answer: B) Ravichandran Ashwin The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Muralitharan conceded only 41 runs in the 8 overs bowled between them to help the Super Kings win by 22 runs and secure their first ever IPL title. is a masterclass in using spin to choke a batting line-up in the biggest game of the season.
Q18 In IPL 2023, CSK dominated MI completely, winning both their league stage encounters. By how many wickets did CSK win both matches that season?
- A) 5 wickets and 3 wickets
- B) 7 wickets and 6 wickets
- C) 4 wickets and 9 wickets
- D) 6 wickets and 6 wickets
Answer: B) 7 wickets and 6 wickets. CSK had a strong season against MI in 2023, winning both their league-stage encounters. In the first match, Chennai secured a 7-wicket victory thanks to a solid batting performance and disciplined bowling. In the second match, CSK again displayed their dominance, winning comfortably by 6 wickets, ensuring a clean sweep against MI that season.
Q19 In IPL 2019, CSK chased 150 in the final and needed 9 runs off the last over. How many runs did they ultimately manage off that final Malinga over?
- A) 5 runs
- B) 8 runs
- C) 6 runs
- D) 7 runs
Answer: B) 8 runs CSK needed 9 runs in the final over from Malinga. They managed 8, falling short by 1 run. Dhoni was at the crease throughout and could not get on strike to face the final delivery, one of the great what-if moments in IPL finals history.
Q20 In IPL 2025, MI defeated CSK by 9 wickets at Wankhede Stadium. This victory ended a long CSK winning streak over MI. How many consecutive matches had CSK won against MI before that game?
- A) 2
- B) 3
- C) 4
- D) 5
Answer: C) 4 CSK won four consecutive matches against MI from 2023 to early 2025 before MI broke the streak with a convincing 9-wicket victory in April 2025. It was one of the most emphatic wins in the recent history of the rivalry, MI’s response to CSK’s dominance in this fixture.
How Did You Score?
| Score | Verdict |
| 0–5 | You need to start watching more CSK vs MI matches right now |
| 6–10 | Casual fan — you know the big picture but missed the details |
| 11–15 | Solid cricket knowledge — you have been paying attention |
| 16–19 | IPL historian — very few people know this rivalry as well as you |
| 20/20 | El Clásico expert — Dhoni and Rohit would be proud |
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People Also Ask
Who has won more matches — CSK or MI?
Both teams have played a total of 41 IPL games, with MI winning 22 and CSK winning 19. MI hold the head-to-head edge, but the three-match gap across 41 games tells you just how evenly matched they have always been.
How many times have CSK and MI met in the IPL final?
Four times — 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2019. MI led 3–1 in those finals.
Who is the top run-scorer in the CSK vs MI rivalry?
Rohit Sharma is the highest run-scorer in this rivalry with 913 runs.
Who are the leading wicket-takers in the CSK vs MI rivalry?
Lasith Malinga from MI holds the record for the best bowling figures in CSK vs MI matches with 5/32, and shares the record for the most wickets with Dwayne Bravo of CSK, both on 37 wickets.
Where can I play more CSK vs MI quiz questions?
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