KOLKATA, APRIL 4 ,2026: Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 5 wickets (with 8 balls left) in a high run chase of 210 runs. With this win, PBKS continue their back-to-back victories with a fantastic knock from Priyansh Arya and a beautiful fifty by captain Shreyas Iyer in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). This was the 7th match of the IPL, played at CSK’s home ground, the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Last year’s finalists, PBKS, started their season campaign with a superb win against Gujarat Titans (GT) at their home ground. PBKS chased 209 runs in their second match against CSK today. With this win, PBKS achieved their ninth 220+ chase in IPL history and continued their strong record, winning 4 of their last 5 matches against CSK. CSK faced back-to-back losses after being dominantly beaten by Rajasthan Royals (RR), and now they were defeated by PBKS once again after scoring 209 runs in their very first home ground match.
The match began with the toss, and PBKS won the toss and chose to bowl first. CSK’s new opening pair this season, Sanju Samson and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, opened the innings. Sanju got dismissed early by Prabhsimran Singh (catch) off Xavier Bartlett after scoring 7 runs in 7 balls. At No. 3, young player Ayush Mhatre came to bat and built a great partnership of 96 runs with Ruturaj Gaikwad, which helped CSK reach a high score above 200. Gaikwad got out after scoring 28 runs in 22 balls. Shivam Dube came in at No. 4. Ayush Mhatre, who got a duck in the last match, played in a fantastic way today but was dismissed in the 13th over after scoring 73 runs in 43 balls by Yuzvendra Chahal (caught by Vijaykumar Vyshak). K. S. Bharat came in and got out for a duck (LBW) off Marco Jansen. Then Sarfaraz Khan came in at No. 6, played an outstanding innings, and scored 32 runs in 12 balls before getting out (caught by Nehal Wadhera) off Vijaykumar Vyshak. Shivam Dube finished the innings strongly with 45 runs in 27 balls (not out), and with that, CSK scored 209 runs for PBKS to chase. CSK played much better than their last match. PBKS bowlers did well, especially Vijaykumar Vyshak, who gave 38 runs in 4 overs and took 2 major wickets, and Yuzvendra Chahal, who gave 21 runs in 3 overs and took 1 wicket.
The second innings began with PBKS openers Priyansh Arya (impact player) and Prabhsimran Singh. Arya started with a fantastic knock of 39 runs in just 11 balls and became the Player of the Match, but got dismissed by Matt Henry after giving a strong start. At No. 3, Connor Connolly came in. Prabhsimran Singh also started well but got run out by Sarfaraz Khan. Then captain Shreyas Iyer came in at No. 4. Connolly got out after scoring 36 runs in 22 balls (caught by Matt Henry, bowled by Anshul Kamboj). Iyer built a stable partnership with Nehal Wadhera and played a stunning fifty in just 29 balls, a huge contribution in the high-scoring run chase. Iyer had an injury in his hand in the last match, but after seeing his performance, it seemed like nothing had happened. After scoring 50, Iyer got out (caught by Rahul Chahar, bowled by Anshul Kamboj). On the very next ball, Nehal Wadhera got out (caught by Noor Ahmad, bowled by Matt Henry). At this point, it looked like CSK could make a comeback in the game, but Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis proved that thought wrong. They finished the chase, with Shashank scoring 14 runs in 6 balls and Stoinis scoring 9 runs in 3 balls. The chase seemed like it would not be easy, but PBKS completed it comfortably, showcasing their strength and well-balanced performance in both batting and bowling. CSK tried to bowl better than in the last match and did well in some phases. Matt Henry took 2 wickets (54 runs in 4 overs), and Anshul Kamboj also took 2 wickets, but CSK still needs improvement in their bowling after this setback.
CSK will face last year’s champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. After this loss, it will be interesting to watch how CSK responds in this great rivalry. On the other side, PBKS will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, which is also the former franchise of Shreyas Iyer. It will be interesting to see how the team carries forward this positive momentum.
