After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer said he chose to bowl first because the pitch looked fresh and he wanted to assess its behaviour early. He added that PBKS are confident due to their strong lineup and momentum from the previous match, while also acknowledging CSK as a consistently strong side, and emphasised focusing on playing their best cricket.
“I feel the wicket is fresh. It would be a great thing to know how the wicket is going to play. So, based on those, I’ve taken this decision. (About their recent record against CSK) It gives us immense confidence considering the line-up that we have. Also, the motivation we got from the last game, definitely we’ll rub on today. They also have a tremendous team who have been playing consistently great cricket over the years. So, we just want to play to the best of our abilities and see to it that we put the best foot forward today,” Iyer said at the toss presentation.
PBKS are coming off a three-wicket victory against the Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 campaign opener. In that match, Cooper Connolly, who was playing his first-ever IPL match, scored an impressive unbeaten 72 in what was a tricky chase. PBKS will aim to continue the winning momentum and register their second consecutive win.
CSK, on the other hand, received a proper drubbing at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in their first match of the ongoing tournament. After CSK posted a meagre 127 on the board batting first, Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blasted a 17-ball 52 to take his side over the line in just 12.1 overs, handing CSK an eight-wicket defeat. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will look to rebound after the heavy loss and get their first points in the IPL 2026.
CSK’s young batting had a tough outing on a lively Guwahati track, but come Chennai they might be at ease slightly with better batting conditions, while PBKS they will ride on the fact that they have won their last three fixtures at this venue and with likes of Cooper Connelly firing, PBKS will be looking to make it four in a row.
CSK endured a disappointing campaign in IPL 2025, finishing at the bottom of the table, and would have aimed for a fresh start this year. However, their campaign began on a poor note as they suffered a heavy defeat to the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. After being bowled out for just 127 in 19.4 overs, CSK saw Rajasthan chase down the target comfortably in only 12.1 overs, losing just two wickets.
In contrast, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) opened their season with a hard-fought win against the Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur. Led by Shreyas Iyer, PBKS restricted their opponents to 162/6 on a challenging pitch. Despite a shaky middle-order performance, Punjab managed to cross the finish line in 19.1 overs with three wickets in hand.
Punjab Kings have enjoyed the upper hand in recent meetings between the two sides, winning six of their last seven encounters against CSK. That said, the overall head-to-head record remains perfectly balanced, with both teams winning 16 matches each out of 32 played. CSK had claimed victory in their first-ever clash back in April 2008, while PBKS emerged victorious in their most recent meeting in April 2025.