Matt Henry picked the wicket of Nehal Wadhera on the first ball of the over but he ended up leaking 12 runs in it. Punjab Kings are almost there. They need just 12 runs in 12 balls.

PBKS 198-5 (18)

Matt Henry has removed Nehal Wadhera! The game is on! It's not over yet, folks! Punjab Kings still need 24 runs to win this game. Can Chennai Super Kings keep it tight? It all depends on how Henry completes his over here.

PBKS 186-5 (17.1)

Shreyas Iyer is OUT! Punjab Kings need 24 runs in 17 balls. Is the game still alive? Coming to this wicket, Iyer holed out the Anshul Kamboj delivery to the player at sweeper cover. Punjab Kings are four down.  

PBKS 186-4 (17)

Fourteen runs came off the final over of Rahul Chahar. Shreyas Iyer hit a four on the first ball, while Nehal Wadhera smashed a big six on the third delivery. Punjab Kings need 33 runs in 24 balls.

PBKS 177-3 (16)

Just five runs came off the final over of Noor Ahmad. He finishes his four with figures of 0 for 38. Punjab Kings need 62 runs in 36 balls. The asking rate has gone above 10, but PBKS would feel that they still have things under control.

PBKS 148-3 (14)

Short ball from Rahul Chahar and Shreyas Iyer muscled it away for a SIX over square leg. He rocked back and pulled it away powerfully for the biggie. 16 came off the over. Punjab Kings need 67 runs in 42 balls.

PBKS 143-3 (13)

OUT! Anshul Kamboj gets the wicket of Cooper Connolly! The southpaw misuces the ball to long-off. Once again, Chennai Super Kings are back in the game. Punjab Kings need 83 runs in 49 balls. Game is on!

Cooper Connolly c Matt Henry b Anshul Kamboj 36(22)

PBKS 127-3 (11.5)

Noor Ahmad leaked 14 runs in his third over. He was hit for two fours and added to the trouble by bowling a no-ball. Punjab Kings need 93 runs in 54 balls. The asking rate is 10.33 at the moment and that would not concern them.

PBKS 117-2 (11)

Punjab Kings need 107 runs in 60 balls. Cooper Connolly and Shreyas Iyer are out there in the middle, with the likes of Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis yet to come. This should be chased down by the batting team.

PBKS 103-2 (10)

Prabhsimran Singh has been run out! He played the ball on the leg side and tried to take a couple. Cooper Connolly kept denying him the second run, but Prabhsimran was so focused on watching the ball that he failed to listen to the call. He tried to return to the crease but was found short.

Prabhsimran Singh run out (Sarfaraz Khan/Ruturaj Gaikwad) 43(34)  

PBKS 95-2 (8.5)

That is a good shot from Cooper Connolly for a four. Rahul Chahar bowled it short and Connolly smashed it over the covers for a four. Eight came off the over. Punjab Kings need 122 runs in 72 balls.

PBKS 88-1 (8)

Prabhsimran Singh changed his stance and smashed the Noor Ahmad delivery for a four while playing the switch-hit. The ball went through the gap in backward point. Punjab Kings need 130 runs in 78 balls.

PBKS 80-1(7)

Only five runs came off the third over of Khaleel Ahmed and that ends the powerplay for Punjab Kings. They have done a good job with the bat so far, thanks to Priyansh Arya's fiery start. Punjab need 142 runs in 84 balls. 

PBKS 68-1 (6)

This was a really good over from Matt Henry. He conceded only eight runs and removed the dangerous man Priyansh Arya. Final over of powerplay coming up. Khaleel Ahmed is set to bowl it.

PBKS 63-1 (5)

Priyansh Arya has been cleaned up! It was a 132 kmph delivery from Mat Henry and Priyansh missed it completely while trying to go for a big one. The ball hit the off-stump. That is a huge relief for Chennai Super Kings, at least for now. 

Priyansh Arya b Matt Henry 39(11)

PBKS 61-1 (4.2)

Anshul Kamboj was brought into the attack and Prabhsimran Singh took him on. The right-handed batter smashed the CSK pacer for three fours in the over. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings crossed the mark of 50. They are cruising at the moment.

PBKS 55-0 (4)

A pull shot from Priyansh Arya and that goes over the deep mid-wicket fence for a SIX. Nine came off the second over of Khaleel Ahmed. Priyansh Arya is batting on 33 off just nine balls. 

PBKS 43-0 (3)

That was an extremely expensive over from Matt Henry. He leaked 20 in it. Priyansh Arya smashed the New Zealand pacer for two fours and one six, while Prabhsimran Singh also hit one four later.

PBKS 34-0 (2)

Prabhsimran Singh looked uncomfortable against Khaleel Ahmed in the first over after Priyansh Arya smashed the left-arm pacer for a four and a six. The four was a superb drive down the ground while Priyansh pulled a good length delivery over deep mid-wicket for the biggie.

PBKS 14-0 (1)

Khaleel Ahmed bowls it down the leg side to Priyansh Arya and umpire calls it a wide. Punjab Kings' chase is underway at Chepauk. Prabhsimran Singh is at the other end.

Chennai Super Kings have posted 209 for 9 in 20 overs! Arshdeep Singh leaked 13 runs in his final over. He failed to keep the over economical as Shivam Dube hit him for three fours. One four went through fine leg after taking the inside edge of Dube's bat. Arshdeep remains wicketless while leaking 41 in four overs.

CSK 209-5 (20)

Punjab Kings pacers continue to leak runs in the death overs. Xavier Bartlett has been smashed for 13 runs in his final one. He finishes his quota of four overs with figures of 1 for 48. Arshdeep Singh will bowl the final over of the innings.

CSK 195-5 (19)

Chennai Super Kings continue to cruise towards 200. Marco Jansen leaked 14 runs in his final over. He ended with figures of 1 for 43. Shivam Dube hit the pacer for a six over deep mid-wicket while Prashant Veer smashed a four through fine leg.

CSK 182-5 (18)

Vijaykumar Vyshak gets the wicket of Sarfaraz Khan! The right-handed batter departs after playing a terrific cameo. He scored 32 off just 12 balls. It was a good length ball and Sarfaraz ended up miscuing it in the air. The mid-on took a few steps back and took the catch.

 Sarfaraz Khan c Nehal Wadhera b Vijaykumar Vyshak 32(12)

CSK 168-5 (16.4)

Poor bowling from Arshdeep Singh and equally smart batting from Sarfaraz Khan in the 15th over. The right-handed batter smashed the left-arm pacer for three consecutive fours. A total of 15 runs came off the over.

CSK 145-4 (15)

Kartik Sharma is OUT for one run off three balls! That is a poor start in batting for the Rs 14.2 crore recruit. He tried to play across on the good length ball from Marco Jansen, missed it completely and got hit on the pad. Umpire was unconvinved over an LBW appeal, but Jansen went upstairs only to get the decision reversed.

Kartik Sharma lbw b Marco Jansen 1(3)

CSK 130-4 (13.5)

Ayush Mhatre is back to the dugout but Chennai Super Kings still have enough firepower to target a total of over 200. Shivam Dube has been joined by Kartik Sharma, who is the joint-most expensive uncapped player in IPL auction history with a price tag of Rs 14.2 crore. Let's see how the later fares.

CSK 125-3 (13)

GONE!!! Smart bowling from Vijaykumar Vyshak and he gets the wicket of Ayush Mhatre as a reward! It was a fuller ball around the tramline from the pacer and Ayush Mhatre opened the face of his bat. He failed to find the gap and ended up hitting it into the hands of short third.

Ayush Mhatre c Yuzvendra Chahal b Vijaykumar Vyshak 73(43)

CSK 123-3 (12.3)

Ayush Mhatre has been dropped on 67! How costly is this going to be for Punjab Kings? The youngster is already hitting the PBKS bowlers quite easily, and now this drop could hurt them badly. Yuzvendra Chahal nearly had the wicket, but Shashank Singh dropped it while running in from deep extra cover.

CSK 112-2 (11.5)

Ruturaj Gaikwad is OUT! Yuzvendra Chahal provides Punjab Kings with a crucial wicket. The 96-run partnership for the second wicket has been broken! It was bowled around the legs of Gaikwad, and the batter found the long-leg fielder on a slog-sweep.

CSK 110-2 (11.1)

18-year-and-261-day old Ayush Mhatre has joined Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prithvi Shaw in the list of players with two of more fifty-plus scores in the Indian Premier League before turning 19. While Sooryavanshi has three such scores, Mhatre is now levelled with Shaw at 2. The CSK star also becomes the youngest player to score a fifty at Chepauk.

CSK 94-1 (9)

8.2 - Two SIXES on the trot from Ayush Mhatre. This is some incredible hitting by the CSK youngster. With the last maximum, the star player races to his half-century. He gets there in just 29 balls. Superb batting!

Yuzvendra Chahal was brought into the attack with first over of spin in the innings and he conceded only six singles in it. Ayush Mhatre is batting on 46 off 28. He is just one boundary away from a terrific fifty.

CSK 77-1 (8)

Ayush Mhatre is playing a blinder here for CSK. He smashed Marco Jansen for two sixes in the over. The first one was pulled over square leg, while the second maximum was hit over the cow corner. 14 came off the over.

CSK 71-1 (7)

Good start from Chennai Super Kings! They lost Sanju Samson cheaply but Ayush Mhatre's superb hitting brought CSK back in the game. The youngster took the charge in the powerplay and remains unbeaten on the score of 29 off 19.

CSK 57-1 (6)

Vijaykumar Vyshak was brought to bowl the fifth over and he ended up leaking 10 runs in it.  Ayush Mhatre smashed the pacer for a six to wide of long-on on the third ball of the over. The CSK younster is playing his shots freely, scoring 23 off 14.

CSK 49-1 (5)

Ayush Mhatre hit a couple of balls from the sweet spot of his bat. He smashed three consecutive fours off Xavier Bartlett. First through mid-on, then mid-wicket, and then square leg. The final one didn't come off from the middle but still went to the fence for four. Fifteen came off the over.

CSK 39-1 (4)

Poor bowling from Marco Jansen as he leaked 10 runs in it. At the start of the over, new batter Ayush Mhatre failed bat test twice before the third one finally passed the umpire's gauge test.

CSK 24-1 (3)

Another failure for Sanju Samson! He is out for a run-a-ball 7. Xavier Bartlett was smashed for a four on the fifth delivery of the over but bounced back with a wicket. The final delivery was pitched fuller as Samson tried to make room for himself. The ball swung and straightened to take the outside edge of Samson's bat to the wicketkeeper.

Sanju Samson c Prabhsimran Singh b Xavier Bartlett 7(7)

CSK 14-1 (2)

Wow! That is a beautiful shot from Ruturaj Gaikwad. Xavier Bartlett bowled it tad fuller outside off-stump. The ball was swinging away from Gaikwad but he drove it beautifully for a four to the wide of cover.

CSK 9-0 (1.1)

Only five runs came off the first over of Arshdeep Singh. He tested Sanju Samson with his deliveries swinging both sides. The CSK openers were careful and didn't try to take any unwanted risk.

CSK 5-0 (1)

Arshdeep Singh is ready with the new ball. Sanju Samson is on the strike, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is at the other end. Here we go... The PBKS pacer started with a fuller delivery down the leg side. Umpire calls it wide and CSK get there first run in the match.

Punjab Kings: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant Brar.

Chennai Super Kings: Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh.

"It looks like it's on the drier side; I don't think it'll change too much., Early April, so dew shouldn't play a role. Running on the board and defending it should be good. We had a tough time last season, a few mistakes and errors which can happen in a T20 game. But that's all in the past; it's about taking it game-by-game and focusing on each one at a time. That has been the key for CSK as a franchise: a strong top order and a good start by the openers. That was the reason for me partnering with Sanju Samson. One change, Prashant Veer replaces Matt Short," said CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

"I'm going to bowl first since it's their first match on the home ground," said PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer. When asked about his hand, he added, "It's fresh. just want to be positive in the way I talk. And I feel that if I say something negative about myself, it rubs off my body. So, I just want to stay, keep it cool and composed."

"I personally feel that I just like to dig on the bowlers when the chips are down. I don't want to get into that mindset where the bowler gets onto me. So, that's the mindset shift I did last season. And this season coming into IPL, I had a similar mindset. We are going with the same team," Iyer said further.

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

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.

As soon as CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad took the mic on his hand to answer the first question of presenter Ian Bishop, he failed to speak as the crowd surprised both of them with huge roar.

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and opted to bowl against Chennia Super Kings in the seventh match of IPL 2026 which is taking place at Chepauk. Bring to you next the starting XIs, list of impact substitutes and the captains' quotes.

Dewald Brevis is back with the squad and had a long net session. However, he only faced throw downs and barely did more than defending the ball. Highly unlikely that he will feature today. His absence leaves a big void in the middle-order.

Chepauk has been a happy hunting ground for PBKS, winning each of their last three meetings with CSK here. Historically, they are one of four IPL teams with an equal or greater number of wins against CSK in Chennai (P9, W5, L4). 

Chennai Super Kings will need to improve significantly in all departments of the game to trouble a potent Punjab Kings. 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.

Sanju Samson was traded from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings ahead of this season. What might concern the player is he averages just 13.16 and has a strike rate of 105.33 at the side's home ground - Chepauk.

Cooper Connolly made his IPL debut in Punjab Kings' campaign opener against Gujarat Titans but he looked so comfortably that it never felt like his first game. The left-handed batter, who came in at No.3, smashed 72 not out, taking PBKS home in the game that turned out to be a little close towards the end.

Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Vishnu Vinod, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ben Dwarshuis, Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad.

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

While Punjab Kings registered a three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in their opening game of the season, CSK suffered a humiliating eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals as their batting failed miserably.

Hello all, welcome to this live blog! Chennai Super Kings host Punjab Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai in match number seven of Indian Premier League 2026 tonight. Stay connected to this space to get the live score and updates related to the game.