Chennai Super Kings Vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2026: Who Will Win Today? Prediction, Likely XIs For CSK Vs PBKS

Chennai Super Kings face Punjab Kings on April 3 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the hosts desperate to respond after a bruising start to their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign.

CSK were thoroughly outplayed by Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, collapsing to 127 before watching the chase wrapped up with 47 balls to spare, courtesy of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s blistering 15-ball fifty.

The defeat has immediately put pressure on the five-time champions, especially with this being their first home game of the season.

Punjab, led by Shreyas Iyer, arrive with momentum after a confident win over Gujarat Titans. Cooper Connolly announced himself in style with an unbeaten 72 on debut, anchoring a successful chase and seamlessly filling the No. 3 role.

While CSK’s legacy often tilts expectations in their favour, recent trends tell a different story, PBKS have built a more settled unit post the 2025 mega auction, something head coach Ricky Ponting has repeatedly highlighted.

More importantly, Punjab have turned Chepauk into a surprisingly happy hunting ground, winning here in each of the last three seasons, an unprecedented run against CSK at home.

From a CSK vs PBKS preview standpoint, the contest hinges on how quickly CSK’s young batting core can adapt after their Guwahati collapse.

Conditions in Chennai are expected to suit batting more, which could help CSK’s lineup, though it also brings their bowling into focus. With MS Dhoni likely to remain unavailable, CSK could be boosted by Dewald Brevis’ return, although Ruturaj Gaikwad has not confirmed his inclusion.

The South African looked comfortable while batting in the nets away from the main group.

For PBKS, confidence is high, combinations look settled, and they have a good recent record at this venue. However, CSK will have the backing of their home crowd. Another defeat for CSK this early would affect their campaign.

CSK Vs PBKS, IPL 2026 Match 7: Prediction

According to Google’s win probability, Punjab Kings hold a slight edge over Chennai Super Kings, with PBKS at 52% and CSK at 48%. The numbers suggest a closely contested match, with very little separating the two sides on paper.

While PBKS come in with a marginal advantage, the gap is not significant, indicating that the outcome could swing either way depending on how the game unfolds.

CSK Vs PBKS, IPL 2026 Match 7: Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar

Impact Player: Prashant Veer

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Player: Harpreet Brar

CSK Vs PBKS, IPL 2026: Squads

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

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