In the battle of the kings, Match No. 7 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will witness Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, on Friday, April 03.
Chennai Super Kings had to be on the losing side in their season opener against Rajasthan Royals, where they failed to put up a big total on the board, while the Riyan Parag-led side chased the target with utmost ease. Sanju Samson failed to fire with the bat for CSK in this clash, while skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre also departed cheaply. They would hope for a better batting performance today.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, were brilliant in their opener against Gujarat Titans. They did not allow GT batters to get beyond 162 in the first innings and later chased the target with five balls and three wickets to spare. The Shreyas Iyer-led side would once again rely on its dominant attack to gain their second straight win of the season.
CSK vs PBKS Match Details
| Match | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings, Match 7, IPL 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Friday, April 3, 7:30 PM |
| Venue | M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai: Pitch Report
The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, one of the most historic cricketing landmarks in India. The iconic venue has hosted 91 IPL matches thus far, with 58 of those going in favour of the teams batting first. The average first inning's score at the ground has been 164 over the years. However, the wickets have been rejigged recently, and this is the first time that an IPL match will be played in Chennai after the renovation. As a result, it will depend largely upon the moisture of the surface to help the teams decide their choice after winning the toss on Friday.
CSK vs PBKS: Head-to-Head T20 Record
| Matches Played | 33 |
| Won by Chennai Super Kings | 17 |
| Won by Punjab Kings | 15 |
| Tied | 01 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | April 19, 2008 |
| Most-recent Fixture | April 30, 2025 |
CSK vs PBKS: Predicted Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player: Sarfaraz Khan/Prashant Veer
Punjab Kings
Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh
Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal/Yash Thakur
CSK vs PBKS: Probable Best Performers of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Ruturaj Gaikwad
The CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad did not look in the best of rhythms in the previous encounter. However, the kind of skills and temperament that he has are enough to dismantle any opposition on his day. The opening batter isn't someone who tries to innovate and overthink a lot about his batting but pierces the gaps nicely to find boundaries through risk-free cricket.
Probable Best Bowler: Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen bowled a brilliant spell against Gujarat Titans, which broke the back of their batting-heavy attack. The pressure created by Jansen resulted in PBKS being able to put a stem on the runs, while also taking important wickets, which settled the innings for a relatively lower total. The tall and lanky pacer is expected to continue his form from the previous spell.
