CSK vs PBKS Playing XI: Predicted Lineups, Full Team News & Impact Players - IPL 2026 Match 7

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will play Match 7 of the Indian Premier League 2026 season at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, April 3. The Super Kings, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will be hoping to record their first victory of the ongoing tournament in front of their home crowd.

Shreyas Iyer’s side started their campaign with a win over Gujarat Titans (GT). Meanwhile, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team suffered a disappointing defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Punjab are in fourth place in the table with two points, while Chennai, who have yet to open their account, are at the bottom.

CSK vs PBKS Team News

Chennai Super Kings are dealing with an injury crisis. MS Dhoni is out for at least two weeks due to a severe calf strain. Dewald Brevis has suffered a side strain and is likely to be unavailable for the game. Nathan Ellis’ injury replacement, Spencer Johnson, will join the squad later this month.

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Punjab Kings will enter the match without major injury concerns. Shreyas Iyer will lead the side after their opening win. Cooper Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh are in good batting form heading into the clash at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.

IPL 2026, Match 7: CSK Playing XI vs PBKS

Openers: Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings need a much stronger opening partnership after their disastrous batting collapse against Rajasthan Royals. Sanju Samson is expected to open alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Samson will also handle the primary wicketkeeping duties while MS Dhoni is out of action. The wicketkeeper-batter failed to replicate his T20 World Cup 2026 form in the first match in Chennai colours.

Middle-Order Batters And All-Rounders: Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton

Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, and Jamie Overton will strengthen the middle and lower middle order. With Dewald Brevis injured, Short will take on added responsibility alongside Shivam Dube.

Dube will be crucial for the Chennai-based franchise to counter Punjab Kings’ spinners in the middle overs, while Kartik Sharma and Jamie Overton provide lower-order depth. Overton scored 43 runs off 36 balls, including two boundaries and two sixes, in the first match.

Bowlers: Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj

Matt Henry will lead the pace attack for Chennai Super Kings and can swing the ball early during the powerplay. Noor Ahmad provides left-arm wrist-spin variety to the bowling attack. Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed will share the pace duties.

Chennai Super Kings Playing XI:

Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj.

12th Player: Sarfaraz Khan

IPL 2026, Match 7: PBKS Playing XI vs CSK

Openers: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya

Punjab Kings are likely to go with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya at the top. Arya failed to deliver with the bat in the first match, while Prabhsimran smashed 37 off 24 balls, including one boundary and four sixes. The team will hope for an aggressive start from the openers.

Middle-Order Batters And All-Rounders: Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen

Cooper Connolly played a magnificent innings on his IPL debut, scoring an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls to help Punjab Kings defeat Gujarat Titans.

Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis will strengthen the middle order. Iyer and Wadhera can anchor the innings, while Jansen adds balance with his all-round ability and provides lower-order hitting in the death overs.

Bowlers: Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Arshdeep Singh will spearhead the pace attack. Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up three wickets against Gujarat Titans but might miss out due to spin-friendly conditions in Chennai. Punjab Kings will rely on Yuzvendra Chahal to trouble CSK’s middle order.

Punjab Kings Playing XI:

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

12th Player: Harpreet Brar

CSK vs PBKS Impact Players

Sarfaraz Khan featured as the Impact Player for Chennai Super Kings previously. Urvil Patel could also be used to strengthen their batting lineup in case of another collapse. For Punjab Kings, Harpreet Brar is a strong option, as he can be effective on the spin-friendly surface in Chennai.

Also read: Making Indian crowd silent is a good feeling: Adam Zampa names 2023 CWC win as his favourite memory