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IPL 2026 Updates: CSK vs PBKS: Gaikwad falls! Chahal strikes

Fri, 03 April 2026

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20:37

Gaikwad falls! Chahal strikes

CSK 118-2 ( 12 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Vijaykumar Vyshak comes into the attack -- will that earlier drop be on his mind? Gaikwad and Mahtre rotate the strike with singles, and Gaikwad finds a gap for a quick two. Mahtre then steps up and slams a boundary. Nine runs come off the over, taking CSK to 110 for 1 after 11 overs.

Chahal returns for his third over and strikes immediately! Ruturaj Gaikwad goes for a big shot but is caught by Nehal Wadhera. He departs for 28 off 22 balls, leaving CSK with a key wicket down at a crucial stage.

Shivam Dube walks in as the new batter and gets off the mark with a single. Mahtre swings at the next ball but is dropped! Shashank races in from deep cover, slides, and cant hold on -- Mahtre survives again! Dube then sweeps one straight to short fine leg for a single and leaves the next delivery alone. Chahal oversteps, resulting in a free hit, which is called wide, followed by a single to wrap up the over.

Eight runs come off it along with a wicket, and CSK move to 118 for 2 after 12 overs.

20:24

Chahal frustrated as Mahtre gets a life

CSK 101-1 ( 10 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Chahal continues from the other end, and Gaikwad flicks one to long-on for a single. Mahtre gets a huge reprieve as a catch goes down -- Chahal isn't happy, and Vyshak lunges at short fine but can't hold on.

Mahtre then goes back and across, slapping one over extra cover for a couple of runs, though Shashank saves two near the ropes. He nudges the next ball to short fine leg for a single. Gaikwad finds a gap and picks up two runs, followed by a single to finish the over.

Seven runs come off it, and CSK reach 101 for 1 after ten overs.

20:20

Mahtre hits stunning fifty

CSK 94-1 (9 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Stoinis comes into the attack, but Ayush Mahtre isn't slowing down -- he races to a stunning fifty! He swings through the line and smashes a huge six over long-off, then follows it up with another back-to-back six, tearing the Punjab Kings apart. The next delivery is called a wide, and a mistimed shot barely crosses the rope but still fetches a single. Gaikwad joins the strike, nudging one to midwicket for two runs before pulling the next to long-on for another single. A swing and a miss brings a rare dot ball.

17 runs come off the over, and CSK move to 94 for 1 after nine overs, with Mahtre in sensational form.

20:14

Mahtre lights up Chepauk with sixes

CSK 77-1 (8 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Jansen comes back into the attack, and Ayush Mahtre greets him with a massive six -- the Chepauk crowd erupts! He swings and misses the next ball but quickly recovers, jamming a shot past extra cover for two quick singles. A push to midwicket yields no run, but Mahtre follows it up with another huge six. A slower yorker on middle and off sees him play a solid defensive shot to finish the over. 14 runs come off it after seven overs, with CSK at 71 for 1.

Mahtre is in fine form, 43 off 25 balls.

Yuzvendra Chahal is introduced next. Gaikwad gets low and sweeps one backward of square on the on-side for a single. Mahtre plays cleverly, flicking one to long-on for a single and then nudging another towards cover. Both batters continue rotating the strike efficiently, taking six runs off the over. CSK move to 77 for 1 after eight overs.

20:04

Mahtre stars in powerplay

CSK 57-1 (6 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Vijaykumar Vyshak comes into the attack, and Gaikwad quickly sneaks a single. Mahtre swings and misses the first delivery but he makes up for it in style, smashing the next ball straight into the stands for six! He follows it up with a smart flick to deep midwicket for a couple more runs. Another swing and miss, but a quick single off the last ball wraps up the over. 10 runs come off it, and CSK move to 49 for 1 after five overs, with Mahtre looking confident and in control.

Arshdeep Singh returns to the attack and Mahtre comes down hard but drags the first ball to midwicket -- no run. He swings and misses the next delivery, which is called a wide, but bounces back immediately with a crisp boundary that gets the Chepauk crowd roaring. Mahtre keeps the momentum, stealing a quick single.

Gaikwad opens his bat and nudges one toward backward point for a single. Mahtre then gets his bat down just in time to block the next ball and follows up with another quick single to finish the over.

Eight runs off it, and CSK close the powerplay at 57 for 1.

19:59

Samson falls for 7 at Chepauk

CSK 39-1 (4 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Jansen takes over the attack and starts with a loose delivery -- Gaikwad pounces for four! He follows up with a single, while Mahtre plays a solid defensive shot. A wide races away for another boundary, but Prabhsimran struggles to get his gloves on the ball, defending the last two deliveries. Ten runs come off the over, and CSK are 24 for 1 after three.

Bartlett continues from the other end. Gaikwad tucks one off his pads to long leg for a single. Mahtre is finally off the mark with a boundary, and the Chepauk crowd erupts! He follows it with another four and then a third boundary in a row -- Mahtre is on fire! He tucks one to long-on for a couple more before a dot ends the over.

15 runs off it, CSK move to 39 for 1 after four.

19:51

Samson falls for 7 at Chepauk

CSK 14-1 (2 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Xavier Bartlett comes in from the other end, and Gaikwad greets him with a boundary -- cheers roar through Chepauk. He misses the next ball but jabs the following one toward point for a single. Samson takes strike but is beaten on the outside edge. He manages a good shot for four, but on the next ball, he edges one straight to the fielder -- gone!

Samson falls for 7 on his home debut. Bartlett has been superb, and Prabhsimran Singh held nothing back in the field.

After two overs, it's nine runs and a wicket -- CSK are 14 for 1.

19:36

Chennai off to a steady start

CSK 5-0 (1 Ovs) vs PBKS | SCORECARD

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson stride out to open for CSK, with Samson taking strike against Arshdeep Singh.

The first ball drifts down the leg and is called a wide. Samson flicks the next towards midwicket, but the fielder is there -- no run. On the following delivery, he finds a gap, but Shashank makes a smart stop, allowing only three runs. Gaikwad faces now. He struggles against left-arm pace, pushing a ball to midwicket for a dot. He manages a single off the next, while Samson is beaten by a sharp delivery. Arshdeep gets a deserved round of applause from the Punjab skipper as the over ends -- just five runs on the board.

19:23

Here are the playing XIs

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

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

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

Impact subs: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant Brar

19:13

PBKS win toss, opt to bowl vs CSK

The toss is underway at Chepauk.

Ruturaj Gaikwad steps up for Chennai, while a fit Shreyas Iyer leads Punjab Kings.

Shreyas calls tails' and it lands perfectly. Punjab Kings will take the new ball and bowl first.

Asked about his recent hand injury, he smiled, insisting it feels 'fresh' and ready for action.

'I just like to take the game on,' he added, reflecting the fearless approach that defined his play last season and one he's determined to carry forward this year. Punjab Kings are unchanged.

Ruturaj Gaikwad walks out to a roar from the CSK crowd, so loud that he barely catches what Bishop is saying at the toss.

Smiling, he reflects on the importance of a strong top order for Chennai Super Kings' success and sticks with himself and Sanju Samson as openers. The team makes just one change -- Prashant Veer comes in for Matthew Short.

19:10

Pitch report

Michael Clarke's pitch report has the crowd excited: he dubs it 'an absolute belter.'

There's just a touch of grass, but the surface is rock-hard, promising true bounce.

Spin isn't likely to play a big role, and with such batting-friendly conditions, Clarke expects a high-scoring, edge-of-your-seat run-fest tonight.

18:49

Khan brothers face off

Under the lights at Chepauk, tonight feels a little more special than just another IPL game.

For the Khan family, it's an emotional moment as brothers Sarfaraz and Musheer line up on opposite sides for the first time.

One in Chennai Super Kings yellow, the other in Punjab Kings colours -- both chasing the same dream, just on different teams.

18:31

Can CSK bounce back or PBKS continue their dominance?

Chennai Super Kings will need to improve significantly in all departments of the game to trouble a potent Punjab Kings in their first home game of the Indian Premier League in Chennai on Friday.

It was a uninspiring start for CSK in their opener against Rajasthan Royals.

CSK, now a team full of youngsters, did not get anything right in Guwahati and would simply like to leave that comprehensive defeat behind in a long tournament such as the IPL. Considering how the Chennai surface played in the recent T20 World Cup, it should be a good batting wicket for the game on Friday.

While the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not travel to Guwahati, he could be back in the dugout as a sounding board to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad while he nurses a calf strain. Sanju Samson, their biggest signing for the season, did not last long on his CSK debut and would be looking to make a big impact in front of home fans.

CSK did not have the services of their key batter Dewald Brevis against Royals and there is still no clarity over his recovery from a side strain.

Sarfaraz Khan was brought into the field as an impact player following the batting collapse. He did not last long but looked comfortable in the middle in his first IPL game since 2023 season.

More will be expected from youngsters like Kartik Sharma as the tournament progresses.

On the bowling front, the likes of Matt Henry and Noor Ahmad were made to look ordinary by the sheer belligerence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. They would be itching to bounce back from that pasting.

CSK take on last year's finalists Punjab Kings, who have become a formidable unit in the Shreyas Iyer-Ricky Ponting era.

As they aim to go all the way this season, they have found an able number three in Cooper Connolly who anchored a tense chase against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night.

The middle-order wobbled in what should have been a straightforward chase and that will push the team to produce a more convincing performance with the bat.

Yuzvendra Chahal, who returns to another IPL as a fitter cricketer, impressed with his variations of line and pace against the Titans, choking the flow of runs in the middle overs while dismissing two key batters.

The team's another consistent performer, Harpeet Brar, was not part of the playing 12. Punjab Kings would need to a find way to play him in the the eleven or as an impact player.

Vijaykumar Vyshak carried on from where he left off last season, doing the job for Punjab Kings in all phases of the innings.

IPL 2026 Updates: CSK vs PBKS: Gaikwad falls! Chahal strikes

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