Ruturaj Gaikwad won his third toss of IPL 2026 and opted to bowl first as Chennai Super Kings took on Lucknow Super Giants at Chepauk. The moment felt almost tailor-made for Chennai—movie music drew the biggest crowd response as the two captains met at the centre on a day tied to a swearing-in ceremony back home. With MS Dhoni still unavailable, the contest looked tilted before a ball was even released.
Key takeaways
- Ruturaj Gaikwad won his third toss of IPL 2026 and chose to field first against LSG.
- Rishabh Pant showed intent to bowl as the pitch had been covered for much of the build-up due to rain.
- Lucknow brought Josh Inglis back into the playing XI, while Arshin Kulkarni was left out.
- Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav were named among the impact options for LSG.
- CSK’s bowling XI included Shivam Dube, even as Sarfaraz Khan was expected to feature when CSK chased.
Pitch and team news at Chepauk
Pant indicated he was keen to bowl as well, a decision influenced by the conditions surrounding the wicket. The surface had spent considerable time under covers before the match because of rain, which added an extra layer of uncertainty for batting early on.
Lucknow’s XI was close to their preferred template, with Josh Inglis returning to the side. The inclusion came at the expense of Arshin Kulkarni. For potential game-turning changes, Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav were kept on the bench, ready to be used if CSK’s innings demanded a different approach.
CSK, meanwhile, appeared set for a slightly unusual structure in this phase of the match. While Sarfaraz Khan was viewed as a likely option for CSK during their chase, Shivam Dube was placed in the bowl-first XI, and Gurjapneet Singh was the one who started from the bench.
Playing XIs and benches
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 3 Urvil Patel, 4 Kartik Sharma, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Anshul Kamboj, 10 Noor Ahmed, 11 Mukesh Choudhary
CSK bench: Gurjapneet Singh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Madhwal
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Josh Inglis, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant, 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Akshat Raghuwanshi, 7 Himmat Singh, 8 Shahbaz Ahmed, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Prince Yadav, 11 Digvesh Rathi
LSG bench: Mukul Choudhary, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, M Siddharth, Mayank Yadav
