CSK aim to rebuild their fortress as PBKS come calling

Shreyas Iyer has been declared fit for the clash, while CSK are likely to be without Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni

Alagappan Muthu

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 2:50 PM (1 hr ago)

Big picture - Can CSK regain their fortress?

Michael Hussey, at the end of Chennai Super Kings' humbling in Guwahati, took heart from the fact that their next game was in front of their own fans. But the thing is, the Assam Cricket Association stadium was filled with their fans as well and it irked Riyan Parag, who had grown up playing there and might have been looking forward to a little more support on his full-time IPL captaincy debut.

CSK can definitely take heart from the conditions in Chennai. They've flattened out, requiring a different kind of batter. Like Sanju Samson, who has hit a six once every eight balls in T20s this year.

Related

Ponting: PBKS 'stronger' than last season, don't think there are any gaps

'Chetta' Super King: Chennai gears up for its Samson era

But Punjab Kings have the same affinity for clearing the boundary. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who will open the batting, have hit more than half their IPL career sixes in the powerplay. Shreyas Iyer brings the same ruthless efficiency to the middle overs and Shashank Singh was the joint second-highest six-hitter in the death overs in IPL 2025.

PBKS are one of four IPL teams with an equal or greater number of wins against CSK in Chennai (P9, W5, L4). They've been on the right side of the result in three successive trips to Chepauk. Last year, CSK's hold of their fortress was shattered (P6, W1, L5). This year, will they get it back?

Key question

Team news and likely XIIs

Dewald Brevis is recovering from a side injury and while he had a long net, he only faced throw downs and barely did more than defending the ball. It seems unlikely he'll be back. Without him, CSK's middle-order appears vulnerable again. CSK's IPL opener was their first without MS Dhoni or Suresh Raina in the XI. The one on Friday will be the third time they play at Chepauk without Dhoni.

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 3 Ayush Mhatre, 4 Matt Short, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Sarfaraz Khan/Prashant Veer, 7 Kartik Sharma, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Noor Ahmed, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Anshul Kamboj, 12 Khaleel Ahmed

"No break," said PBKS assistant coach Brad Haddin, when asked about Shreyas' hand, which took a blow while standing at the non-strikers' end in the last game. Ricky Ponting said PBKS had strengthened from the time they finished as IPL finalists last year. Considering the success of Cooper Connolly - and even without it, the mere fact that he was batting at No. 3 displacing Shreyas who had such great success there (360 runs at an average of 51.42 and strike rate of 180.9) - was proof of the good work they had done at the auction table. They have batting down to No. 8 and seven bowling options if Connolly and Marcus Stoinis can bowl.

Punjab Kings: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Xavier Bartlett, 10 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal

In the spotlight: Ruturaj Gaikwad and Marcus Stoinis

Ruturaj Gaikwad has six single-digit scores in his last ten innings in the IPL. He missed a good chunk of the last season with injury and is starting this one back at the top of the order and with a new partner, whose stature is a threat to his captaincy. Gaikwad said in his conversations with Samson that Samson would prefer Gaikwad to keep leading CSK. But that would depend on the results. Gaikwad has a fine record at Chepauk - 764 runs at an average of 50.9 and a strike-rate of 142.

Eleven batters have scored a century against CSK in the IPL. Marcus Stoinis is one of only two to do so at Chepauk. His role, down at No. 6, probably prevents him from going that big, but he should still enjoy a good feeling walking into the ground as he looks to put behind a duck in his first game of the season, against Gujarat Titans.

Stats and trivia

Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed are two of the most compelling left-arm quicks in the IPL. Since 2024, they are neck and neck on the number of wickets taken in the powerplay - Arshdeep leads the whole list with 40 and Khaleel is in third place with 31

Both of them enjoy a favourable match-up against the opposition captains. Arshdeep vs Gaikwad in the IPL reads three wickets for 40 runs and a batting strike-rate of 114.28. Khaleel vs Shreyas reads three wickets for 33 runs and a batting strike rate of 132

Yuzvendra Chahal took a hat-trick the last time he played CSK in Chennai. He has 23 wickets against them in IPL matches at an economy rate of 7.1, and perhaps more crucially, an upper-hand against their star player. Chahal has dismissed Samson five times in 12 innings for just 61 runs. No bowler has taken him out as often in the IPL

Both teams are locked at 16 wins and 16 losses each in the IPL. Since 2022, however, PBKS have won five games and CSK just one.

Pitch and conditions: The Chepauk makeover

Chennai was nasty, particularly to quick bowlers, during the T20 World Cup. The pace and bounce that was on offer simply made it easier for batters to hit through the line and that trend might just continue in the IPL too. Haddin confirmed there was a bit of grass on it. Friday is set to bring temperatures hitting a high of 35C and a low of 26C. This will be the same pitch where India recorded 256 for 4 against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup.

Quotes

"I think, usually, the Chennai wicket plays really well. But, at night, sometimes, you know, if there is excessive dew and a bit more moisture in the wicket, you know, the wicket tends to change a bit, especially the second half of the innings. So, not really sure about how it will go this year."

Ruturaj Gaikwad is unsure of how the Chepauk surface will play

"Last year was phenomenal to watch. I remember when he arrived to camp, we knew his talent but then after a couple of net sessions, the coaches got together and sort of went wow, this kid is something special."

PBKS assistant coach Brad Haddin is a Priyansh Arya fan

Next three fixtures

Chennai Super Kings

April 5: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Bengaluru

April 11: vs Delhi Capitals in Chennai

April 14: vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

Punjab Kings

April 6: vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata

April 11: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in New Chandigarh

April 16: vs Mumbai Indians in Mumbai

Alagappan Muthu is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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