IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) Playing 11 Today Match, Full Squad: Chennai Super Kings host the Punjab Kings in their first home match of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Chepauk Stadium on Friday. It will be CSK’s match at Chepauk without MS Dhoni and they will be seeking improvements in all departments, having started the season with an eight-wicket loss to the Rajasthan Royals.
CSK, now a team full of youngsters, did not get anything right in Guwahati and would simply like to leave that comprehensive defeat behind in a long tournament such as the IPL. Considering how the Chennai surface played in the recent T20 World Cup, it should be a good batting wicket for the game on Friday.
CSK did not have the services of their key batter Dewald Brevis against Royals and there is still no clarity over his recovery from a side strain. Sarfaraz Khan was brought into the field as an impact player following the batting collapse. He did not last long but looked comfortable in the middle in his first IPL game since 2023 season.
Last year’s finalists Punjab Kings started with a thumping win over Gujarat Titans. They were boosted by new No.3 Cooper Connolly hitting the ground running. The middle-order wobbled in what should have been a straightforward chase and that will push the team to produce a more convincing performance with the bat. Yuzvendra Chahal, who returns to another IPL as a fitter cricketer, impressed with his variations of line and pace against the Titans, choking the flow of runs in the middle overs while dismissing two key batters.
CSK vs PBKS Predicted Playing XIs
CSK: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed
PBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Story continues below this ad
CSK vs PBKS Squads
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), 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.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), 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.
