Chennai Super Kings will go head-to-head against Gujarat Titans in Match 37 of the 2026 Indian Premier League at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai on Sunday.
CSK's season is on an upward trajectory following their comprehensive win over arch rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankehde Stadium. The five-time champions started slowly as they suffered defeats against Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in first three matches. But the team bounced back to defeat Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad. But the win over MI has brought life back to their campaign.
While CSKs' season has been a mixed bag, the standout positive is undoubtedly the resurgence of Sanju Samson. Acquired in a blockbuster pre-season trade that saw Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran head to Rajasthan Royals, Samson initially struggled to find his rhythm. However, he has since hit a blistering vein of form, anchoring the innings with two masterful unbeaten centuries against DC and MI.
Complementing Samson's batting heroics is the emergence of Anshul Kamboj. The right-arm pacer has been a revelation, tearing through batting orders to claim 14 wickets, the highest so far in this season. Despite these individual triumphs, the team faces a critical bottleneck: the alarming form of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. With a string of low scores (6, 28, 7, 15, 7, 19, 22), Gaikwad's inability to survive the powerplay is leaving the middle order exposed and under constant duress. For CSK to secure a playoff berth, it is no longer a luxury but a necessity for their captain to rediscover his mojo at the top of the order. Amid all this, there is little clarity over MS Dhoni's return.
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GT's season is on the verge of collapsing as the team is lingering seventh on the points tally with three wins and four losses from seven games. The Shubman Gill-led side has been beaten by PBKS, RR, MI and RCB while the victories have come against DC, LSG and KKR.
The 2022 winners of the IPL can draw inspiration from the batting form of opener Sai Sudharsan, captain Gill and Jos Buttler. Sudharsan hit a hundred in the previous outing but his effort were in vain as RCB vanquished GT by 5 wickets. Gill has amassed 297 runs, the fourth-most this season and Buttler has hit two fifties. While Gill, Sudharsan and Buttler have been amongst runs, the poor form of middle-order batters like Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan and Glenn Philllips has been a big concern. Phillips was dropped for the game against RCB and was replaced by Jason Holder. The bowling looks fairly balanced with pace duo of Prasidh Krishna and Kagiso Rabada claiming 12 wickets and 10 wickets respectively. They are being well supported by leg spinner Rashid Khan who has claimed 8 scalps.
Weather And Pitch
The India Meteorological Department has predicted partly cloudy sky in Chennai for Sunday. The maximum temperature could rise up to 38° C and the minimum temperature could around 28°C.
Pitches in Chepauk have been batting friendly this season. In the last two games played here, the team that batted first has won the contest. One can expect a batting friendly wicket for this game.
Head-To-Head Record
- Matches Played:8
- Chennai Super Kings wins: 4
- Gujarat Titans wins: 4
Players To Watch
Sanju Samson (CSK): Samson has hit two hundreds this season and in both these knocks he has remained not out. While other batters have faltered, Samson is carrying the burden of scoring runs. If Samson has a good outing then CSK is likely to dominate this match.
Shubman Gill (GT): With 297 runs, Gill is the league's fourth highest run-scorer and team's leading run-getter this year. Gill has to ensure that he plays a big knock to steer the team's innings.
Likely Playing XI
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt.), Sanju Samson (wk.), Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
GT: Shubman Gill (capt), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna
Broadcast and LIVE stream details
All IPL matches are broadcast on the Starsports channel and can be streamed on the JioHotstar app.
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