Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 Match Day 7: Get the playing XI, head-to-head records, stats, live score, and predictions for the CSK vs PBKS IPL match at MA Chidambaram Stadium on 3rd April, Friday at 7:30 PM.
Once a fortress, Chepauk is now a major headache for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Last time, CSK won against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2025. Following that win, CSK played five more home matches at Chepauk in the rest of the 2025 season.
They lost all of them. Will that trend continue? And if Punjab Kings (PBKS) win on Friday night, CSK will keep their losing streak in the 2026 IPL.
Last year’s finalists began their season with a three-wicket win over the Gujarat Titans (GT). Cooper Connolly chipped in with the bat and made his IPL debut in style.
Vyshak Vijay Kumar and Yuzi Chahal bowled with discipline and kept GT to 162. Chahal should get some help on the slow Chepauk track. It usually favors spinners.
CSK, on the other hand, is still finding its footing. Ruturaj Gaikwad needs a big knock, and Jamie Overton’s finishing ability remains their biggest trump card. But their bowling has looked thin in patches.
Head-to-head, CSK lead PBKS comfortably, but records mean little when form is patchy, and the home crowd is getting restless. Friday night at Chepauk feels like a must-win moment for CSK, even this early in the season.
Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings Match Details
| Match | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings |
| Stadium | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Date & Time | Friday, April 3, 7:30 P.M. (IST) |
| Live Streaming | JioHotstar |
| Tickets | District |
CSK vs PBKS Head to Head Records
| Matches | 32 |
| CSK Wons | 16 |
| PBKS Wons | 16 |
| No Result | Nil |
| Home Advantage Index (CSK) | 1 |
| Defensive Fragility Ratio | 1 |
CSK vs PBKS Pitch Report
CSK’s batting struggled with the enigma of Chepauk during IPL 2025. Pacers took 182 wickets, and spinners took 109 wickets last year. Usually, black soil pitches favour spinners, but the pacers were dominant there. Most of the batters got trapped in this pitch to play big shots, and balls gripped the surface.
The average score on this ground is 165-175. The dew makes an impact in the later stages of the game. Spinners face trouble. That gives an advantage to the chasing teams. Expect this time pitch to be more discernible.
CSK vs PBKS Weather Report
The CSK vs PBKS match will be going on heat & humid conditions. During the game time, the temperature will be around 29-31°C , but it feels like 36°C.
The humidity will be 75%-85%. During the match, air will blow from the south-southeast at 20km/h. We can see dew in the second inning. There is no possibility of rain.
CSK vs PBKS Predicted Playing XI
For Chennai Super Kings Playing 11
Sanju Samson (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Short / Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry, Noor Ahmed, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player – Anshul Kamboj / Urvil Patel / Kartik Sharma
For Punjab Kings Playing 11
Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyash Iyer (C), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijay Kumar
Impact Player – Harpreet Brar / Yuzvendra Chahal
Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings Stats
- History has a final word too. PBKS won here on the last ball in 2023, chasing down 200, the highest successful chase in this rivalry at Chepauk. One over, one moment, game over.
- Chepauk generally favors batting first, 51 wins defending versus 39 chasing. But in this specific rivalry, CSK has never won chasing against PBKS here. Zero wins from eight attempts. Every time Punjab forces CSK to bat second, it ends badly for the hosts.
- The powerplay is crucial. The pitch slows down quickly, so teams that attack early win more often. PBKS proved this in 2024, smashing 50 runs inside 5.5 overs and killing CSK’s spin threat before it settled.
- Black soil offers pace early but gets grippier as the game progresses, giving spinners something to work with. Teams targeting the 150-165 par score range and strangling the middle overs almost always win.
- Dew complicates things further. In 2025, it made the ball hard for spinners to control in the second innings. It turned a tough chase into a comfortable one. Toss and conditions could decide Friday’s result before a ball is bowled.
CSK vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction
PBKS arrive with momentum, a settled bowling unit, and a clear game plan at this venue. Chahal on a slow track is dangerous, and if Punjab win the toss and bat first, CSK will have more chances. That is exactly where they struggle most against this opponent.
CSK are not short of match-winners. Ruturaj, Dube, and a spin-friendly surface could swing things their way. But faith in a turnaround needs more than hope. Right now, the form favors Punjab’s way.
The head-to-head record is tied, even in Chepauk; both teams have won 4 matches each.
Prediction: PBKS to win a close, low-scoring contest. Expect the spinners to dominate and the match to go deep into the final overs.
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