This is smart batting from Sanju Samson. He spots that short third is inside the ring, gets onto the back foot, and cuts the ball for a four to the left of the fielder. Samson then takes a single to retain strike. Twelve come off the over.

CSK 61-0 (6)

Axar Patel came in to bowl and he ended up being hit for 13. Ruturaj Gaikwad punched him through the covers for a four while Sanju Samson played two beautiful inside out shots for two more boundaries.

CSK 40-0 (4)

This is an economical over from Auqib Nabi Dar. Sanju Samson slammed the bowler for a four over mid-on on the second delivery, but he bounced back well to take the CSK opener off strike and bowl tight to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

CSK 27-0 (3)

Consecutive fours from Sanju Samson! He first flicked the fifth ball through fine leg for a four, and then played a superb drive down the ground for another boundary off the over. The right-handed batter has moved to 17. This is Samson's first double-digit score for CSK!

CSK 20-0 (2)

Auqib Nabi Dar was handed the very first over, and he conceded runs in it. Sanju Samson cut the fourth delivery for a four on the off side. He looked comfortable while facing the Jammu and Kashmir pacer.

CSK 10-0 (1)

"The pitch does look a bit on the drier side. We were actually 50-50 about the toss, but it's good to back ourselves. The aim is to put our best foot forward today, get that first win and get on the points table. It's great to have Brevis back, he's excited and ready. For those asking about MS Dhoni, he's at the hotel watching and supporting us. But yes, very soon, you'll see him out on the ground," said CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana.

Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry.

Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (w), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (w), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed.

"We would like to bowl first because the pitch looks good, and whatever score is set, we would prefer to chase it. If you look at the balance of our side, we have almost all bases covered. As for the surface, it has been a good batting wicket this season. Over the last couple of years in Chennai, it has played well. It’s a red soil pitch, so there should be good bounce. Our aim will be to restrict them to as low a total as possible and then chase it down. There are two changes. Nabi comes in for Vipraj, and Ashutosh Sharma replaces Nitish Rana," said Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel.

Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel has won the toss and opted to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 game at Chepauk. He informed that Jammu and Kashmir's star pacer Auqib Nabi Dar, who was bought by the franchise for Rs 8.40 crore at the auction last year, has been included in the playing XI.

The absence of Dewald Brevis has also impacted the balance of CSK. The explosive South African batter is expected to make a comeback from injury against Delhi Capitals. However, there is no clarity over the return of MS Dhoni, who is yet to play this season due to a calf strain.

Delhi Capitals started the tournament with two consecutive wins but then suffered a heartbreaking one-run defeat. They would be hurting from their narrow loss. The Axar Patel-led side knows the importance of momentum in a highly competitive tournament like the IPL and would be determined to compound CSK's woes with an all-round performance.

With three losses at three different venues, CSK have begun the season on an uninspiring note. Whether in batting or bowling, significant improvement is needed if they are to compete with rival teams.

The seasoned opening duo of Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be under immense pressure to perform as Chennai Super Kings extend search for their first win of the season against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Dewald Brevis, Zakary Foulkes.

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel(c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi Dar, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, Mitchell Starc, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari.

Welcome to the live blog of Match No. 18 of the Indian Premier League 2026. Chennai Super Kings host Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, tonight. Stay connected for live scores and updates.