For the second night in a row, a 200-plus total wasn’t enough. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finally showed some life with the bat, but Punjab Kings (PBKS) didn’t care. They chased down 210 with ease, winning by five wickets at Chepauk and moving to the top of the IPL 2026 points table.
CSK looked far better than they did in Guwahati, but they left runs out there. And against a batting unit like PBKS, that’s asking for trouble. Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab is another ultra-attacking team that can be dangerous and they did it a great job in chasing in front of a packed Chepauk crowd.
Priyansh Arya blows the game open, PBKS stay ahead
The chase was pretty much decided in the first few overs. Priyansh Arya came out and went straight at CSK. No sighters, no settling in. Just clean hitting. CSK’s bowling unit are packed with new-ball bowlers and yet they lost them the match.
Arya smashed 39 off 11 balls, and more importantly, took PBKS to 50 in just 3.2 overs. That kind of start changes everything. Suddenly, 210 didn’t look that big anymore. Prabhsimran Singh rode his luck for 42, but Arya had already done the damage. From there, PBKS never really let the game drift.
Cooper Connolly played the situation well through the middle overs, keeping the chase steady. And once Shreyas Iyer got going, it was done. He brought up a quick fifty off 29 balls, finishing the job without fuss as PBKS got there in 18.4 overs. This is now their fourth straight win at Chepauk. Not many teams say that.
CSK’s middle-overs slowdown comes back to hurt
For once, CSK actually had a good start with the bat. Ayush Mhatre led the way with a fluent 73 off 43, taking control of the powerplay after Sanju Samson fell early. Ruturaj Gaikwad played second fiddle, letting Mhatre dictate terms, and CSK were well placed early on.
But the game turned in the middle overs. Between overs 10 to 14, CSK managed just 36 runs and lost three wickets. That phase hurt them badly. Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yuzvendra Chahal tightened things up, and CSK lost momentum right when they needed to push.
Sarfaraz Khan tried to fix that with a quick 32 off 12, and Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 45 helped them get to 209. It looked competitive. It wasn’t. With the ball, CSK had no answers early. Once Arya went after them, they were always chasing the game. Sanju Samson’s move to CSK hasn’t clicked yet either. Scores of 6 and 7 so far, and he looked uncomfortable again at the top.
Two games in, CSK have shown flashes but not enough. They have missed Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni as well. PBKS, on the other hand, once again look well-set to go deep into the tournament.
IPL 2026 points table after CSK vs PBKS match
| Rank | Team | P | W | L | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PBKS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +0.637 |
| 2 | RR | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +4.171 |
| 3 | RCB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +2.907 |
| 4 | DC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +1.397 |
| 5 | MI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +0.687 |
| 6 | SRH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +0.469 |
| 7 | GT | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -0.509 |
| 8 | LSG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.397 |
| 9 | KKR | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.964 |
| 10 | CSK | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2.562 |
Next IPL 2026 matches
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4 | DC vs MI | Delhi | 3:30 PM |
| Apr 4 | GT vs RR | Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM |
