IPL 2026 Today's Match: CSK vs PBKS playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-up

PBKS have dominated CSK in recent seasons, winning six of their last seven encounters. Find captaincy stats, playing 11 probables and key match-ups that define the clash here

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on last year’s finalists Punjab Kings (PBKS) in match 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 tonight. Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and elected to bowl first on the night.  This marks CSK’s first home game of the season at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

 

After a disappointing IPL 2025 where CSK finished at the bottom of the table, the team hoped to start strong this season. However, their campaign began on a sour note as they were comprehensively beaten by the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. Rajasthan, after being restricted to 127 in 19.4 overs, chased down the modest total comfortably in just 12.1 overs, losing only two wickets. Key CSK batters failed to make an impact, highlighting the need for a better performance at home.

 

Punjab Kings, on the other hand, began the season on a positive note against Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur. Shreyas Iyer’s side limited the Titans to 162/6 and successfully chased the target in 19.1 overs despite a middle-order wobble. 

 

PBKS have dominated CSK in recent seasons, winning six of their last seven encounters. Yet, with home conditions favoring CSK, the Men in Yellow will look to turn the tables and make a strong statement in Chennai.

 

Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy record in IPL (CSK)

Matches: 20

Wins: 8

Losses: 12

N/R: 0

Win percentage: 40%

 

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy record in IPL (PBKS)

Matches: 88

Wins: 51

Losses: 35

N/R: 2

Win percentage: 57.95%  IPL 2026 Match 7, CSK vs PBKS : LIVE SCORE | FULL SCORECARD | PLAYING 11 | LIVE STREAMING

 

IPL 2026: CSK playing 11 vs PBKS

 

After a disappointing start to IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings are eager to make adjustments ahead of their clash against Punjab Kings. In this “battle of the Kings,” CSK is expected to revamp their batting order, with changes likely in both the top and middle order, while their bowling lineup is set to remain mostly intact. Their initial strategy of demoting Ayush Mhatre failed to yield results, and the decision to open the innings with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also did not pay off.

 

Chennai Super Kings playing 11: Sanju Samson (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Ayush Mhatre, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj.

 

Impact Player: Sarfaraz Khan

 

CSK squad for IPL 2026: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Jamie Overton, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Noor Ahmad, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zakary Foulkes, Spencer Johnson, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Ayush Mhatre

 

IPL 2026: PBKS playing 11 vs CSK

 

For their clash against Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings are likely to open with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, seeking an aggressive start after Arya’s quiet debut and Prabhsimran’s 37-ball 37 with four sixes. The middle order will feature Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, and Marco Jansen, combining stability and all-round firepower. Connolly impressed with an unbeaten 72 on debut, while Iyer and Wadhera can anchor the innings. 

 

The bowling attack will be led by Arshdeep Singh, with Xavier Bartlett supporting the pace and Yuzvendra Chahal expected to exploit spin-friendly conditions in Chennai.

 

Punjab Kings playing 11: Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

 

Impact Player: Priyansh Arya

 

PBKS squad for IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer, Priyansh Arya, Harnoor Singh, Mitchell Owen, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh

 

IPL 2026: CSK vs PBKS key player battles  CSK batters vs PBKS bowlers 

CSK batters vs PBKS bowlers player battles
CSK Batter	PBKS Bowler	Format	Innings	Runs	Outs	Strike Rate
Matthew Short	Xavier Bartlett	T20	6	62	2	144
Ruturaj Gaikwad	Yuzvendra Chahal	IPL	5	46	2	115
Ruturaj Gaikwad	Arshdeep Singh	IPL	6	40	3	114
Ruturaj Gaikwad	Harpreet Brar	T20	4	41	0	152
Sanju Samson	Yuzvendra Chahal	IPL	12	61	5	115
Sanju Samson	Arshdeep Singh	IPL	9	79	1	188
Sanju Samson	Marco Jansen	T20	8	50	2	139
Sanju Samson	Marcus Stoinis	T20	7	27	2	129
Shivam Dube	Arshdeep Singh	IPL	6	30	3	143
Shivam Dube	Marcus Stoinis	T20	5	30	2	158

  PBKS batters vs CSK bowlers 

PBKS batters vs CSK bowlers player battles
PBKS Batter	CSK Bowler	Format	Innings	Runs	Outs	Strike Rate
Prabhsimran Singh	Khaleel Ahmed	IPL	6	48	1	130
Prabhsimran Singh	Noor Ahmad	IPL	2	19	2	173
Priyansh Arya	Khaleel Ahmed	IPL	2	38	1	190
Shreyas Iyer	Khaleel Ahmed	IPL	8	33	3	132
Shreyas Iyer	Rahul Chahar	IPL	4	7	3	47
Marcus Stoinis	Khaleel Ahmed	IPL	5	10	2	67
Marcus Stoinis	Noor Ahmad	T20	5	23	0	72
Marcus Stoinis	Akeal Hosein	T20	5	27	1	129
Shashank Singh	Noor Ahmad	IPL	4	41	0	164
Azmatullah Omarzai	Noor Ahmad	T20	5	44	1	163

 

 

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