Chennai, April 3 (NationPress) In the seventh match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer stated, “We are choosing to bowl first. Given that it is their inaugural match at home, I believe the wicket is quite fresh. It will be insightful to observe how it plays out. This influenced my decision.”

Regarding his recent hand injury, Iyer remarked, “It feels fresh. I aim to maintain a positive outlook. I believe that expressing negativity might affect my recovery. I prefer to stay calm, as it instills great confidence in us. The motivation from our last game will surely carry over to today’s match. Our goal is to perform at our best.”

On his batting strategy, he added, “I enjoy taking on bowlers when we are in a tough spot. That was the mindset shift I embraced last season, and I’ve carried that into this season. Nowadays, players are effortlessly clearing boundaries, which boosts the team’s morale. We are entering the match with an unchanged lineup.”

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his satisfaction about batting first, stating, “The pitch appears somewhat dry to me. I doubt there will be significant changes as the game progresses. It’s early April, and dew will play a role. Having runs on the board will be crucial for defending this track.”

Reflecting on their batting collapse in the previous match against the Rajasthan Royals, Gaikwad said, “We must acknowledge the challenging conditions we faced. It was one of those games where trying to remain positive led to mistakes. What’s done is done; we must focus on improving in this game. Taking it one match at a time is vital for CSK’s success, particularly with our top order. Strong opening partnerships have been key for us. I am excited to have Sanju opening with me. We are making one change tonight: Prashant Veer replaces Matt Short.

Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact substitutes: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant Brar

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed

Impact substitutes: Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh