Chennai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 37th match of IPL 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday, 26th April at 3:30 PM. There is strong anticipation around this clash, especially after CSK’s impressive comeback in the tournament, while there is still suspense about the availability of M.S. Dhoni for today’s match.
CSK made a strong comeback after a not-so-impressive start to the season. In their last match, they successfully defended 207 runs with a dominant performance against the Mumbai Indians. CSK secured a massive 103-run victory. A stunning century from Sanju Samson powered CSK to a formidable total, while the bowling unit delivered a clinical performance to dismantle MI’s batting lineup. With that win, CSK climbed to 5th position on the table with 6 points. However, they have shown some inconsistency in batting, often losing wickets quickly, and will need to improve this while maintaining their momentum.
There is still suspense regarding the return of M.S. Dhoni from injury and his availability for today’s match, as there has been no official confirmation from the management. On Saturday, head coach Stephen Fleming also maintained uncertainty about Dhoni’s availability. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, he said, “He’s progressing well. He’s on the road to recovery and doing everything that’s being asked of him,” without revealing when Dhoni is expected to take the field. There are chances of his return in this clash, but it will be confirmed at the time of the toss.
On the other hand, GT are coming off back-to-back defeats and have slipped to 7th position on the table with 6 points. In their last match against RCB, they failed to defend 205 runs. While they have a strong bowling lineup, they have been unable to deliver consistent performances. In batting, Sai Sudharsan came up with a century in the last match and looked back in form, but the rest of the middle order has struggled with frequent collapses.
In IPL history, CSK and GT have played a total of 8 matches, with both teams winning 4 matches each, making this rivalry evenly balanced.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Squad:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI):
Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh
Impact Player: Mukesh Choudhary
Gujarat Titans (GT Squad):
Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Tom Banton, Glenn Phillips, Sai Sudharsan, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Luke Wood, Kulwant Khejroliya, Rashid Khan.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):
Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj
Impact Player: Prasidh Krishna
The weather in Chennai is expected to be hot and humid, with temperatures ranging between 33°C and 36°C during match hours. Due to humidity levels of around 55–65%, it may feel even hotter, creating physically demanding conditions for the players. The sky is likely to remain mostly clear with plenty of sunshine, and there is very little chance of rain, so a full match without interruptions is expected. Light sea breezes may provide some relief, but overall conditions will remain warm and sticky. Since it is not a night game, dew is unlikely to play a role, and the dry surface could assist spinners as the match progresses.
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is expected to be typically dry and slow, as is its traditional nature in IPL matches. The surface generally offers good grip for spinners, especially as the game progresses, making stroke play slightly challenging in the middle overs. Early on, batters can score if they settle in, but the ball tends to come onto the bat more slowly, discouraging aggressive stroke play. Fast bowlers may find assistance through cutters and variations rather than pure pace. Overall, a total in the range of 160–180 is often considered competitive here, and teams winning the toss may prefer to bat first to take advantage of relatively better batting conditions before the pitch slows down further. This clash will be interesting to see whether CSK can maintain their winning momentum or GT manage to bounce back strongly in the tournament.
