Chennai Super Kings face Punjab Kings at Chepauk in IPL 2026. CSK return home after losing their opener to Rajasthan Royals, while PBKS started with a win over Gujarat Titans. Both sides have confirmed XIs, with CSK fielding a youthful lineup and PBKS retaining their balanced core. PBKS have won their last three visits to this venue.
Toss & Conditions
The Chepauk surface now offers more pace and bounce, aiding batters who hit through the line. A bit of grass remains, suggesting quick bowlers may find some assistance early before conditions flatten out.
Head-to-Head
In the last three meetings, PBKS have won twice and CSK once.
Chennai Super Kings
CSK are 10th in the IPL 2026 regular season with 0 points and a record of 0 wins and 1 loss. They lost their opener to Rajasthan Royals after being bowled out for 127.
Punjab Kings
PBKS are 5th in the IPL 2026 regular season with 2 points and a record of 1 win and 0 losses. They defeated Gujarat Titans by 3 runs in their opening match.
Playing XI
News & Facts
- Dewald Brevis is recovering from a side injury and is unlikely to play.
- CSK’s IPL opener was their first without MS Dhoni or Suresh Raina in the XI, and this will be their third match at Chepauk without Dhoni.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad has six single-digit scores in his last ten IPL innings.
- Yuzvendra Chahal took a hat-trick the last time he played CSK in Chennai and has 23 wickets against them at an economy rate of 7.1.
- Both teams have 16 IPL wins each against the other; since 2022, PBKS have won five and CSK one.
Key Stats
Prediction
Key stats favor PBKS 6-2, with advantages in points, NRR, Elo rating, recent form, and powerplay economy, while CSK lead in mid and death bowling economy. All four predictive models lean toward PBKS, giving them 60% average win probability against CSK’s 40%. Bookmakers also back PBKS at 57% (odds 1.68) versus CSK at 43% (odds 2.20). The decisive factors could be PBKS’s stronger recent form and superior Elo and NRR metrics.

