IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings look to stay alive in playoff race against LSG

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings will look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they take on a struggling Lucknow Super Giants in an IPL 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

With the league stage entering a crucial phase, CSK are currently placed sixth on the points table and still remain firmly in the race for a top-four finish despite an inconsistent season. Their campaign has seen a mix of strong performances and frustrating collapses with the bat, both at home and away.

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A return to Chepauk could work in CSK’s favour as they prepare to face an LSG side sitting at the bottom of the table and already staring at an early exit from the tournament.

Much of CSK’s batting this season has revolved around Sanju Samson, whose performances at the top have often set the tone for the team. The wicketkeeper-batter has quickly established himself as the batting backbone of the side since joining the franchise.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to the season before regaining form earlier this month with unbeaten knocks of 74 and 67. His return to form played a major role in CSK climbing back into playoff contention, although he failed in the previous match against Delhi Capitals, where Samson’s unbeaten 87 guided the team to victory.

CSK will also hope for stronger contributions from the middle order, which includes Dewald Brevis, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton and Shivam Dube. The team will expect them to play a bigger role, especially in the death overs.

Veteran MS Dhoni has not played a match this season because of a calf injury suffered before the tournament. Though he has been training in the nets, he is yet to return to the playing XI.

Chepauk pitches this season have not been as slow as they traditionally are, offering better batting conditions while still assisting spinners at times. That could bring CSK spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad into the game during the middle overs.

LSG, meanwhile, have had a disappointing season and are currently placed 10th with only three wins from 10 matches. Captain Rishabh Pant has struggled to justify his hefty price tag this season and has not been able to produce consistent performances with the bat. He did show signs of form with a quick 32 off 10 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluruon Thursday.

The biggest positive for LSG recently was Mitchell Marsh’s brilliant 111 off 56 balls in their nine-run win over RCB, a result that snapped a six-match losing streak and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

LSG will also depend heavily on Nicholas Pooran to provide momentum in the middle overs. Their bowling attack is led by experienced India pacer Mohammed Shami, while Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed and Digvesh Singh Rathi have provided support through the season. Injuries to Josh Inglis and Mohsin Khan have further hurt LSG’s campaign in what has been a difficult season overall.

Squads:

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

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Abdul Samad, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Ayush Badoni, Mukul Choudhary, Himmat Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Arshin Kulkarni, George Linde, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Manimaran Siddharth, Arjun Tendulkar, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav.