CSK Vs KKR Highlights, IPL 2026: Noor Takes Chennai To 2nd Straight Victory; Kolkata Remain Winless

Noor Ahmad is deservedly named Player of the Match for his bowling figures of 3/21. Here's what he had to say at the post-match presentation:

"Really happy to contribute to my team. It was humid, so was trying to keep my fingers dry - that helped me a lot to hit the right areas. Really happy with the pitch. Ball was not coming onto the bat.

"[On this performance] It gives a lot of confidence. Will keep putting a lot of effort to keep contributing to my team. Changing pace is great everywhere, on every wicket. Tonight, above 90(kph) was good."

Here's what KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane had to say to the broadcasters after yet another defeat this season:

"I thought with the ball, we did very good. 190 on this wicket was very good. To pull it back for 190 after the powerplay CSK had was very good. 36-37 in the powerplay (from us) was very important (in the result). We needed one batter to bat through till the end (for us to have a good chance).

"Combination wise, the one we had, last game and this, was really good. It is tough, not winning matches. About having to keep our heads up, chins up. If the results are not going your way, you have to think about combinations, but it is about being positive and keeping your heads up.

"[On Kartik Tyagi] He is bowling really good. All credit to him. The pace he is bowling at is amazing. Game by game, he is improving his skills. Not easy for batters to hit big sixes. From both sides, spinners bowled really well. We have to keep our head up, be positive and have self-belief."

It's all over. Rovman Powell stays there till the end with an unbeaten 31 off 22, but it's nowhere near enough as KKR can only muster 160 for 7 in 20 overs. CSK win by 33 runs to win their second game on the trot. As for Kolkata, the torrid winless run continues with their fourth loss in five games — the other game was washed out.

KKR: 160/7 (20)

Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh are at the crease for Kolkata, and have a mountain to climb. KKR need 73 runs off four overs, meaning an asking rate of 18.25, or over three runs per ball. It's still not entirely impossible, but for the Knight Riders to have any chance, they need blinders from both these batters.

KKR: 120/6 (16)

What a turnaround from the Super Kings! Akeal Hosein sees the back of Angkrish Raghuvanshi to break the 50-run partnership. Noor Ahmad then snares Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green off back-to-back deliveries, and then accounts for Rinku Singh too! KKR in all sorts of trouble now.

KKR: 91/6 (13)

KKR are clawing their way back via a vital partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. They have upped the tempo to keep the required run rate under 11 an over. As long as the visitors have middle-order wickets in hand, they will stay in the hunt.

KKR: 77/2 (9)

Ruturaj Gaikwad drops a dolly to give Sunil Narine a let-off, but it doesn't cost CSK much as Khaleel Ahmed sends back the southpaw for a 17-ball 24. The hosts are really making things hard for Kolkata here, and the asking rate is nearing 11 runs per over already.

KKR: 31/2 (5)

Sunil Narine and Finn Allen get KKR's chase of the 193-run target underway. Khaleel Ahmed takes the new ball and is dispatched for six off his fifth delivery by Narine. Anshul Kamboj shares the new ball with Khaleel and gets rid of the dangerous Allen, having him caught at point.

CSK: 14/1 (2)

Seventeen runs accrue from the last two overs as Kolkata Knight Riders limit Chennai Super Kings to a 192-run total. This is not a total to be looked down upon, but is certainly chaseable in these conditions. Can KKR finally break their winless streak tonight?

CSK: 192/5 (20)

Dewald Brevis becomes the third CSK batter after Ayush Mhatre and Sanju Samson to not capitalize on a promising start, as he is caught at short third by Vaibhav Arora off Kartik Tyagi for a 29-ball 41. Sunil Narine then outfoxes Sarfaraz Khan, cleaning him up for an 18-ball 23. Onus now on Shivam Dube and Jamie Overton to propel CSK past 200.

CSK: 175/5 (18)

KKR's strangling job continues. After Brevis and Sarfaraz scythed Varun Chakravarthy for 15 runs in over 14, Anukul Roy comes up with a great next over, conceding just six runs. This is a good batting track on early evidence and the Knight Riders would fancy chasing anything under 200.

CSK: 142/3 (15)

Serious heat from Kartik Tyagi! The 25-year-old pacer shrugs off Sanju Samson's terrific six straight down the ground with a corker next ball in the 12th over. Tyagi breaches Samson's defences with a 148kph delivery that bursts through the keeper-batter's attempted slog. The stumps are rattled; KKR have pulled things back really well after the powerplay.

CSK: 118/3 (12)

Live by the sword, and die by it. Ayush Mhatre perishes while trying to pull a Vaibhav Arora bouncer over square leg, holing out to Ramandeep Singh for a 17-ball 38. In comes Dewald Brevis, who smashes Sunil Narine over long on for six off the second ball he faces.

Varun Chakravarthy makes his first bowling appearance upon return to the KKR playing XI, meanwhile, conceding eight runs in his first over.

CSK: 94/2 (9)

Ruturaj Gaikwad's torrid run of form in IPL 2026 continues, as he falls for a six-ball 7 to Anukul Roy. But that brings in young Ayush Mhatre, who is off the blocks in a hurry. The India Under-19 skipper carts Cameron Green for two fours and two sixes in the fourth over to make his intentions crystal clear!

CSK: 52/1 (4)

It's time! Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad are at the crease for CSK, and Vaibhav Arora starts proceedings for KKR. The seamer gets some inward movement, but Samson goes on the backfoot to guide the first ball past the slip cordon for four. The wicketkeeper-batter follows it up with a cracking square cut to the fence. It's a rollicking start for the hosts, and Kolkata under pressure early.

Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Substitutes: Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Navdeep Saini

Chennai Super Kings Impact Substitutes: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane calls the coin toss correctly and decides to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings. Varun Chakravarthy is fit again and comes in place of Navdeep Saini, Rahane confirms.

The good news is that there's virtually no chance of rain in Chennai tonight, so expect a full, uninterrupted game. The not-so-great update is the severe heat and humidity that the city is bound to offer at this time of year. Temperatures will stay in excess of 30 degrees Celsius all through the evening, and players must stay hydrated to avoid cramps.

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? MS Dhoni has been recovering from a calf injury that has kept him out of the opening phase of IPL 2026. In recent days, he has been seen participating in light training sessions and spending time in the nets, which has raised hopes of a possible comeback. But he has not yet returned to full-intensity practice, especially behind the stumps, which remains a key indicator of match readiness.

The CSK management appears to be taking a cautious approach with Dhoni’s recovery. While there is visible progress, the medical team is unlikely to rush him back into the playing XI without complete fitness. Given the current situation, the talismanic wicketkeeper-batter is unlikely to feature in tonight's clash.

The toss is slated for 7pm IST, with the first ball at 7:30pm. The Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Premier League 2026 encounter will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India. Its live telecast will be available on the Star Sports Network TV channels in the country.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Blessing Muzarabani, Saurabh Dubey, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Prashant Solanki, Varun Chakravarthy, Matheesha Pathirana, Umran Malik, Daksh Kamra

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

Good evening and welcome, folks! We are building up to the start of match 22 of IPL 2026 between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Watch this space for pre-match, toss, playing XIs and live updates.