Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the two most successful franchises of Indian Premier League. With 5 titles each, the two have owned the league like no other team has ever done. And undoubtedly because of the same, the encounter between the two is the most high voltage clash of the league. It was the case for the last 16 years. But now it seems, like it's the end of the rivalry as both the teams share the same fate, with the captain winning 5 titles stepping down from captaincy.

Just a couple of months back, Mumbai Indians decided to sack the captain who won them all the titles. The transfer of captaincy from Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya had already raised many eyebrows. Fans from even all the other franchises were angry at the Mumbai management for doing so. Fans who were still trying to process the fact that Rohit was no more the Mumbai captain, were at the receiving end of another shocker when they discovered that the most successful captain of India, MS Dhoni himself stepped down from his captaincy duties.

While Rohit was forcefully sacked, Dhoni gracefully made his way for Ruturaj Gaikwad. But the end result of it is that the face of these franchises, who made them a success will no more be the epicenter of those teams. And that, to any sane cricket fan is disheartening. Obviously one would love to still see the matches between the two teams led by Hardik Pandya and Ruturaj Gaikwad respectively, but one will certainly miss the vibe that Rohit and Dhoni brought to the field. What's even more sad to see is one would see both of them playing in the side, but as a player and not as the leader they are.

Over the 16 years of IPL, the rivalry between the two have had given a lot of moments for the fans to cherish. Both the teams have won their first title by defeating each other in the finals. In 2010, CSK won the title by defeating MI, and in 2013 MI avenged the defeat when Rohit Sharma led squad won their first ever title. Since 2013, the rivalry peaked and became intense with every encounter. Squads changed, players changed, management changed, the style of play changed, but the atmosphere and the vibe never ever changed. It always remained constant.

The rivalry saw the best out of most of the players. It also contributed to some of the most amazing moments. The banter between Bravo and Pollard was always the highlight of the contest. Some out of the box strategies like setting a fielder extreme straight right in front of the stumps were witnessed only in the El Classico of IPL. The mind games were on the next level when one saw Dhoni and Pollard engaging in some action without a word being spoken. And all these things together, with the leaders being Rohit and Dhoni made this rivalry extremely special for anyone who watches the game.

But now, it seems like all of that was a good past, and something which one might rarely witness again. When one saw Rohit Sharma posting a story on Instagram for MS Dhoni, speaking of meeting the same fate, every fan certainly felt the pain. It's funny how time changes. With time, everyone will move on ahead in their lives. There will be many more occasions when the two most successful franchises will meet again, but it would never be the same as the older one's. The rivalry has ended, what now remains in between the two are just the plain matches without the old vibe.