CSK Vs PBKS Live Score, IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer Opts To Bowl First; Check Playing XIs; Prashant Veer Handed Debut

Punjab Kings Impact subs: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Harpreet Brar

Chennai Super Kings Impact subs: Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh

"I'm going to bowl first since it's their first match on the home ground. 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. (How is the hand?) It's fresh. (That's all you'll give me?) I just want to be positive in the way I talk. And I feel that if I say something negative about myself, it rubs off my body. So, I just want to stay, keep it cool and composed. (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. (Corrections from the first game) I personally feel that I just like to dig on the bowlers when the chips are down. I don't want to get into that mindset where the bowler gets onto me. So, that's the mindset shift I did last season. And this season coming into IPL, I had a similar mindset. There are so many other batsmen, especially the youngsters, who are coming in. The way they hit the ball clear, they clear the boundary so easily. I feel like that also rubs on into everyone in the team. And when you see such confident and optimistic lads around you, it rubs into myself as well. No, we are going with the same team."

"Well, I think, you know, for me it looks a bit on the drier side. And I don't think so it will change too much. More often than not, it will remain the same. And, you know, it's the early part of the April, so I don't think dew will be a key factor in the second inning. So I think, runs on the board and definitely you can depend on this track. (How do you approach this from a batting perspective?) Well, nothing, you know, we just accept we had a tough condition to face. And, you know, one off game where you're trying to go positive, but you can tend to make a few mistakes and a few errors. And that is something which can happen in a T20 game. But nevertheless, you know, what has gone is gone. We just try and focus on this game and how you can come better and better prepared. That is how you focus on this game. So I think it's just about taking game by game and trying to improve each and every game. (How comfortable are you with the way that you've set it [batting] up?) No, I think that has been the key for CSK as a franchise, you know, having that good top order. And I think opening partnership is something that has given us decent success in the winning season as well. So I think that is something which we thought about coming into this season. And I felt nothing better than having Sanju and me open the batting. So that was just the thought process. Yeah, we got one change - Prashant Veer comes in for Matt Short."

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

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and has opted to bowl first.

In their last match of IPL 2026, the Punjab Kings secured a thrilling three-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium. After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Punjab’s bowling unit put in a disciplined performance to restrict the Titans to a competitive total of 162/6. Yuzvendra Chahal was the standout performer with the ball, picking up two crucial wickets and maintaining a tight economy rate of 7.00.

The chase, however, was far from straightforward. Punjab’s top order struggled to find rhythm, and a middle-order collapse threatened to derail their pursuit of 163. The match seemed to be slipping away until young Australian talent Cooper Connolly took center stage. Connolly played a sensational, unbeaten match-winning knock of 72 off just 44 balls, punctuated by five massive sixes. His composure under pressure allowed Punjab to reach the target with five balls to spare.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered an 8-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals in their last match, held on March 30, 2026, at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati. It was a tough outing for the Yellow Army, who were outplayed in all departments.

After being put in to bat, Chennai's top order collapsed under the pace of Nandre Burger and Jofra Archer. Key players like skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and debutant Sanju Samson were dismissed cheaply, leaving the team reeling at 19/3 within the first four overs.

The middle order failed to stabilize the innings as Ravindra Jadeja, playing against his former side, struck twice in one over to remove Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube. A resilient knock of 43 off 36 balls by Jamie Overton was the only saving grace, helping CSK scrape together a total of 127 all out in 19.4 overs.

The chase was a one-sided affair dominated by 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He smashed a blistering 52 off just 17 balls, reaching his half-century in a mere 15 deliveries—the third-fastest in IPL history. RR won by 8 wickets with 47 balls to spare.

Cooper Connolly made a sensational IPL debut for Punjab Kings earlier this week, guiding his team to a three-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans. Stepping into the middle order for the first match of the 2026 season, the 22-year-old Australian displayed remarkable composure to steer a tricky chase at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.

Connolly arrived at the crease with Punjab in a strong position, but a sudden middle-order collapse sparked by Prasidh Krishna saw the team slip from 110/2 to 121/6. Despite the pressure of a crumbling middle order, Connolly remained unfazed. He anchored the innings with an unbeaten 72 off just 44 deliveries, a knock that included five boundaries and five sixes.

His performance was record-breaking, marking the fifth-highest individual score by any player on their IPL debut. Connolly credited his calm approach to pre-match advice from head coach Ricky Ponting, who encouraged him to "play his game and dominate." His efforts earned him the Player of the Match award and helped Punjab Kings secure their first points of the season before heading into tonight’s clash against Chennai.

Weather conditions at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium for tonight’s Match 7 are expected to be clear and humid, with no threat of rain to disrupt play. During the match, temperatures will hover between 28°C and 30°C, though the high humidity—forecasted at around 73%—will likely make it feel slightly warmer for the players on the field. Fans can get hourly details here.

CSK and PBKS are evenly matched overall with 16 wins each, but since 2022, PBKS have had the edge with five wins compared to CSK’s one. Know such interesting stats between both sides here.

MS Dhoni didn't play against Rajasthan Royals for CSK in the opening match. Kartik Sharma was handed debut in his place and Sanju Samson took the responsibility of wicketkeeping. Will MS Dhoni feature for Chennai Super Kings against Punjab Kings? Know here.

• Fixture: Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings

• Series: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026

• Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

• Date: Friday, April 03, 2026

• Time: 7:30 PM IST

Good evening, cricket fans! This is the start of our live blog covering the IPL 2026 match between CSK vs PBKS at the MA Chidamabaram Stadium. Stay tuned for pre-match updates and playing XIs as they are revealed.