Chennai Super Kings are gearing up to lock horns with Punjab Kings in match 7 of the IPL 2026 on Friday at MA Chidambaram Stadium. Both sides are coming off contrasting outcomes in their past fixtures. CSK return home looking to reset after a disappointing start. Their opening outing against Rajasthan Royals exposed their weakness, particularly in execution under pressure. Now back on home soil at Chepauk, CSK will hope to bounce back strongly in order to claim their first win of the tournament.

At the top, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad remains central to their plans and will be expected to anchor the batting. He will need support from a batting unit that lacked consistency in the previous match. Meanwhile, the absence of key figures like MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis was clearly felt. Much could also depend on Shivam Dube, who will be crucial in death overs. CSK would also expect their bowlers to come out with disciplined spells.

In their last game, Khaleel Ahmed delivered a disciplined spell and Anshul Kamboj chipped in with wickets. Still, overseas bowlers Matt Henry and Noor Ahmad were unable to control the game. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, come with momentum on their side. Their season opener against the Gujarat Titans was a massive show of strength.

Chasing a moderate total of 162, PBKS looked in complete control for large parts of the innings. However, the dismissal of their captain triggered a sudden collapse. But young gun Cooper Connolly stepped up, displaying remarkable composure in his debut game to guide the team home with an impressive innings.

Head-to-head

Matches - 32

CSK won - 16

PBKS won - 16

CSK possible XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan/Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed

PBKS possible XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal