Couple of good balls from Khaleel Ahmed but Sunil Narine was back to his vintage best as he heaved the ball over the boundary. Brilliant six and the KKR run chase is underway.

KKR 7/0 (1 over)

KKR have gone back to the Gautam Gambhir strategy as Sunil Narine will open the batting along with Finn Allen. Ajinkya Rahane demotes himself and this can turn to be a game-changer for the three-time champions.

Another brilliant over by Kartik Tyagi and CSK could only manage to score 192/5 in 20 overs. Both Shivam Dube and Jamie Overton were looking for big shots but Tyagi's nagging line meant that no boundary came in the last over.

CSK 192/5 (20 overs)

Good defensive bowling by Vaibhav Arora. A couple of wides but his strategy meant that the batters were not able to hit him for plenty. 9 runs off the over and KKR will be very happy.

CSK 184/5 (19 overs)

Another wicket for Kartik Tyagi. Dewald Brevis looked to go for the big shot but was caught in the short thirdman by Vaibhav Arora. However, there is no stopping CSK as Jamie Overton is the new batter and he slammed a boundary right away.

CSK 175/5 (18 overs)

Sunil Narine strikes and finally some respite for KKR. Sarfaraz was completely foxed by the googly as it crashed into the off-stump. However, Shivam Dube is the next batter and he can surely hit some big sixes. A four for Dewald Brevis in the over but still a bad over for CSK.

CSK 169/4 (17 overs)

Vaibhav Arora has no idea on how to counter the attack from Dewald Brevis and Sarfaraz Khan. The KKR pacer looks absolutely helpless as Brevis slammed a four and a six off his bowling. Sarfaraz also joined the party with a huge six as CSK race towards a big total.

CSK 162/3 (16 overs)

A six for Sarfaraz Khan followed by two boundaries for Dewald Brevis. No success for Varun Chakravarthy as he looks hopelessly out of form. CSK batters are making merry as they target a 200-plus target.

CSK 139/3 (14.3 overs)

The run rate has suffered quite a lot since the dismissal of Sanju Samson. With Sunil Narine maintaining a brilliant line, both Sarfaraz and Brevis have struggled to hit him and KKR will be happy with their comeback in this match.

CSK 121/3 (13 overs)

Another six for Sanju Samson and Kartik Tyagi had no reply. However, the fast bowler made a stunning comeback by castling the CSK wicket-keeper batter. Just 2 short of a half-century but it was a nothing shot from the batter as the ball went through his bat and pad to crash into the stumps.

CSK 111/3 (11.2 overs)

It was a brilliant over by Kartik Tyagi who kept the CSK batters in check for the majority of it. However, a thick outside edge off Sanju Samson's bat flew over the thirdman boundary and the CSK opener is slowly approaching another half-century.

CSK 102/2 (10 overs)

A big chance for KKR as Dewald Brevis miscued a shot off Sunil Narine but the ball was just away from a diving Ajinkya Rahane. No boundaries in the over but the CSK batters made sure that the scorecard kept ticking.

CSK 94/2 (9 overs)

KKR are now looking to go with an all-spin onslaught with Varun Chakravarthy also getting an over. However, there is not much assistance off the pitch and the CSK batters did not find it much difficult to deal with him. A boundary for Sanju Samson through backward point and KKR bowlers look quite clueless at the moment.

CSK 89/2 (8 overs)

Sunil Narine into the attack and he will certainly play a big role tonight. As a senior spinner, a lot will depend on him and he did start well with Samson playing him out cautiously. However, Dewald Brevis looked to attack him on the final ball and was able clear the long-on boundary quite easily.

CSK 81/2 (7 overs)

Three boundaries for Ayush Mhatre in the air but it is Vaibhav Arora who had the last laugh. A miscue from the batter and Ramandeep Singh was able to complete a good catch in the deep. Fightback on for KKR? They will have to take quick wickets because this CSK batting goes quite deep.

CSK 72/2 (6 overs)

A six off the first ball for Sanju Samson but Anukul Roy was able to come back brilliantly as he kept the CSK batters in check. However, it is not looking like the KKR bowlers have a clear plan on how to get these batters out. This can be a long night for Rahane and co.

CSK 60/1 (5 overs)

Two fours and two sixes for Ayush Mhatre in the over against Cameron Green. This has been sensational from the youngster as he looks extremely confident for CSK and the Australia all-rounder has no answer to this onslaught. KKR will have to look for a new plan against Mhatre and Sanju Samson.

CSK 52/1 (4 overs)

Anukul Roy was brought into the attack by KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and the gamble worked wonders. Ruturaj Gaikwad went for the big shot but was caught in deep mid-wicket by Rovman Powell. Ayush Mhatre did get a boundary in the final ball of the over but this can be a huge moment for KKR.

CSK 31/1 (3 overs)

Cameron Green into the attack and not much luck for him. An outside edge from Ruturaj Gaikwad flew towards the short third-man area but it was just away from Varun Chakravarthy. One boundary and CSK are off to a good start.

CSK 24/0 (2 overs)

What a start for Sanju Samson! Two boundaries through the thirdman area and a brilliant shot through point that raced to the boundary. This is brilliant stuff from the opener who scored a century in his last game.

CSK 14/0 (1 over)

It is time for the much-anticipated encounter! Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson will open the innings for CSK while Vaibhav Arora will start proceedings for KKR.

An interesting thing for all cricket fans will be whether Cameron Green will bowl more than 2 overs today. He was initially stopped from bowling by Cricket Australia and even after getting clearance, the all-rounder bowled just 2 overs in the last match.

Kolkata Knight Riders Impact subs - Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Navdeep Saini 

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

While it is almost certain that Finn Allen will come in for KKR, it is most likely that CSK will opt for Akeal Hosein.

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

Still no MS Dhoni for CSK in IPL 2026. The former skipper was once again missing for the five-time champions and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad did not provide any further details on when he can make his return.

Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

Varun Chakravarthy comes in the team for KKR in place of Navdeep Saini. Meanwhile, CSK went with an unchanged side.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to field!

Chennai Super Kings have won 20 times while KKR have won 11 times in the matches between the two teams. In the games since 2022, both teams have won 3 each.

I'm going to go through the dimensions. To my right, we've got a 70-meter hit. To my left, just a shorter boundary tonight of 63 meters. And straight back over the bowler's head is 79 meters. So they're the dimensions tonight. When we look at this Chepauk wicket, WV, you know it better than most, how's it going to play here tonight? It looks good. It looks hard. It's been well-rolled. And we've seen different kind of pitches this season, aren't we, at this particular venue. Because the pitches have been hard. There's a lot more carry, a lot more bounce. And that's the reason we're seeing a lot of batters enjoying themselves. Couple of occasions, they got past the 200 mark here when they played the matches this season. And I expect that trend to continue tonight as well. And when you look at CSK's results, they lost to Punjab here, then won the second game against Delhi. The spinners, it's been a fortress for CSK over the years, but the spinners have found it tough this series so far. Do you expect there to be much turn here tonight? Not really, because their entire attack is dependent on the fast bowlers and the medium pacers. So they're going to be street smart. There's going to be a lot of variations being brought in by the fast bowlers. And that will be something that we'll see a lot frequently tonight. And when we talk about the power of both lineups, we've got Sanju Samson coming off a magnificent 100 in the last game here against Delhi. And we've got Kiwi masterclass at Finn Allen at the top of the order for KKR. Hasn't got going yet, but if those two get going tonight, it could well be a six-hitting fest. Yes, it'll be definitely because they're all capable of decimating any attack. Well, there you have it. Should be a high scoring affair here tonight at the Chepauk.

Varun Chakravarthy is making his run-up and this can be a big boost for KKR. They were playing with Anukul Roy as the second spin option besides Sunil Narine. But will the return of the World No. 1 T20I bowler make any difference for KKR?

Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has come under a lot of fire in IPL 2026 till now. Some of his fielding and bowling decisions were criticised heavily by the fans and some attributed it to the absence of MS Dhoni. Dhoni, who is considered to be one of the greatest IPL captains ever, has been a major part of the decision-making team and in his absence, Ruturaj's calls have come under the scanner quite often.

Ajinkya Rahane, Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora

KKR have not won a single game till now and it is highly likely that they may just look to change things. Navdeep Saini did not have a good outing in the last match and Saurabh Dubey can emerge as an option. Ramandeep Singh can also end losing his place due to bad form.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh.

The suspense over MS Dhoni continues as the superstar cricketer has not played a single game for CSK this season. He was suffering from a calf strain and although he has undergone multiple fitness tests, it is understood that he is still not ready to play.

It has been a horrible season for KKR till now. In the 4 matches that the three-time champions played, they have lost 3 while the game against Punjab Kings was washed out. It looked like they were heading towards their first win against Lucknow Super Giants but a magical knock from Mukul Choudhary meant that the wait continues from Ajinkya Rahane and Co.

Chennai Super Kings would look to build on the momentum gained from a much-needed victory in their previous match when they host a winless Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. CSK logged their first win of the season on the back of an all-round performance against Delhi Capitals that included Sanju Samson's first impactful knock, a 56-ball 115, for the storied franchise and a fine bowling effort.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the IPL 2026 match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, straight from the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Stay tuned for all the live updates.