CSK Vs PBKS, IPL 2026: Will MS Dhoni Feature Against Punjab In Chennai's First Home Game At Anbuden? Here's What We Know

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings are ready for a battle against last season's runners-up Punjab Kings tonight in match number 7 of the Indian Premier League in what is going to be the first game of the 2026 season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Tamil Nadu.

Chennai fans, as always, are expected to turn the entire stadium yellow as they will hope that their backing and support will be able to help the franchise register their first victory of the season.

CSK had suffered an embarrassing 8-wicket defeat against the Rajasthan Royals in their season opener. RR first bundled Chennai out for 127 in the 1st innings and then chased the total down within 12.1 overs, thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blistering half-century.

The yellow army will be hoping to make amends and pick up a home victory to get things get started.

All eyes will be on new entrant Sanju Samson, who had a forgettable outing against his former franchise, scoring 6 runs before getting his stumps cleaned up by man of the match Nandre Burger.

Eyes will also be on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had also scored just 6 runs before getting bowled out by Jofra Archer.

But the biggest talking point remains the availability of former 5-time IPL winning captain with CSK, MS Dhoni. He is unlikely to don the yellow jersey in Chennai's first home game of the season as he is currently recovering from a calf strain.

A CSK official, a couple of days ago, had revealed that MS Dhoni is undergoing rehabilitation and that he will miss at least the first 2 weeks of the season. Dhoni had missed the opener against Rajasthan as well.

However, a positive did arrive when the 44-year-old was spotted training in the nets and took nearly an hour of throwdowns along with youngster Urvil Patel.

Dhoni was seen swinging the bat, smashing a few biggies after taking some time to settle down. But despite him training ahead of the game against Punjab, MSD is most likely going to miss this game.