The IPL is back, with one of its most-followed teams, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), set to take center stage along with the IPL’s perhaps most vaunted cricketer, MS Dhoni.
CSK have attained the joint-most IPL trophies (5), finishing at the podium in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023. They are currently tied with Mumbai Indians (MI) on this tally.
The BCCI has revealed the schedule for phase 1 of the upcoming tournament, which will be the 19th edition of the IPL. The 20 fixtures in phase 1, running from March 18 to April 12, include four IPL 2026 CSK matches, two at home and the other two on the road. More on the CSK schedule below.
CSK IPL 2026 Full Fixtures Overview Phase 1 Schedule at a Glance
The IPL 2026 phase 1 confirmed matches include four CSK matches. The first match this season for CSK is on March 30 against the Riyan Parag-led Rajasthan Royals, an away fixture in Guwahati.
CSK’s first home match this year, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, is scheduled for April 3 when they host Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings. The Yellow Army then flies to Bengaluru to take on their neighboring state rivals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 5.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s contingent then returns to Chepauk for a clash against Axar Patel’s Delhi Capitals on April 11 to complete phase 1 of CSK matches.
All of these four fixtures are night matches, scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST.
CSK IPL 2026 Phase 1 Schedule:
| Match No. | Date | Day | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
| 3 | March 30 | Monday | Rajasthan Royals | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | April 3 | Friday | Punjab Kings | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| 11 | April 5 | Sunday | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 18 | April 11 | Saturday | Delhi Capitals | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 7:30 PM |
Note: Phase 2 schedule hasn’t been announced yet at the time of writing
CSK Away Match in Guwahati Against RR What Makes It a Unique Challenge
The Chennai Super Kings don’t have any fond memories of playing at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, where they will meet RR on March 30. This is because CSK have featured in only one match in Guwahati, in IPL 2025, which they lost to RR by a small margin of six runs.
The CSK vs RR clash is going to be a tactical challenge for Gaikwad because of the Guwahati pitch conditions that are generally good for batting.
There will be a lot of intrigue in the CSK vs RR March 30 fixture due to the underlying subplot: the swapping of Sanju Samson with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in the trade window ahead of the auction. Samson is now in the yellow color.
Sanju Samson Playing Against Rajasthan Royals for the First Time
The Sanju Samson vs RR bout will be a must-see contest within the contest. Between his IPL debut in 2013 and IPL 2025, Samson has turned up for RR for 11 seasons, ignoring the 2016 and 2017 IPL editions when RR was banned and he played for Delhi. Samson even captained RR to an IPL final in 2022.
Thsi year, ‘Chetta’ will be donning the yellow jersey and striding out to the cheers of his name following a sensational hat trick of fifties in the T20 World Cup.
Samson was traded in by CSK before the IPL 2026 auction last year, with CSK offering RR Jadeja and Curran in the trade. This will be the first time in his IPL career that Samson will be up against RR.
Further, it would be interesting to observe Samson’s role in the IPL CSK match this year: a theory suggests Dhoni could be used as an Impact Player now that CSK have someone like Samson to hand over the wicket-keeping duties.
Pitch and Weather Conditions at Barsapara Stadium Guwahati
Talking about the Barsapara pitch report for the CSK next IPL match, which is CSK vs RR, this venue offers a balanced pitch in the IPL. In the six IPL matches in Guwahati, the average innings score is 171, while the average winning total is 182.
Spinners have made a bigger impact than pacers on both average and economy counts; Chahal has taken the most IPL wickets in Guwahati.
Dew could play a role in the night games in Guwahati, and hence, chasing is the preferred option.
CSK Away Clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Against RCB
The most anticipated match of phase 1 of the IPL 2026 will perhaps be the RCB vs CSK April 5 fixture in Bengaluru.
Over the past couple of seasons, a fan rivalry between the supporters of these two franchises has grown, however, not without plenty of ugliness and toxicity on social media. This is because RCB have beaten CSK in their last three clashes, including knocking CSK out of the playoff race in IPL 2024. Last season, CSK lost to RCB both in Chennai and Bengaluru.
CSK’s overall record against RCB at the Chinnaswamy is almost at parity – 6 losses and 5 wins.
Why Chinnaswamy Is the Toughest Away Ground in the IPL
There are several factors that disfavor CSK with regard to this particular match: the high-scoring nature of the Chinnaswamy Stadium; three consecutive defeats against RCB; and the contrasting finish of the two teams last year.
Adding to this, the playing XII in IPL 2026 CSK matches would be very different to their XII at the beginning of last season. That is because of an infusion of some younger players who would now need to recalibrate their game plan according to the high-scoring pitch and small boundary size at the Chinnaswamy. It is going to be a tough task in the first place to execute it effectively to challenge the defending champions on their home turf.
MS Dhoni and the Finisher Role That Could Win CSK the Bengaluru Match
Now with Sanju Samson on the side, it would be fascinating to watch what role MS Dhoni plays in the batting department during CSK matches in IPL 2026.
Whether he continues to be a pinch-hitting finisher who makes his way into the middle only for the death overs, or does Dhoni promote himself up in the order and indeed roll back the years of his mastery in the middle overs.
Heading into the RCB vs CSK fixture, Dhoni’s spectacular record at Chinnaswamy Stadium will be spoken with reverence. In the IPL, Dhoni has scored 450 runs in 12 innings at the Chinnaswamy at a strike rate of 174 with the help of four half-centuries; no visiting batsman has scored more runs at this particular venue than the legendary CSK skipper.
Whether it’s setting up a total while batting first or calculating tall run chases with great success, Dhoni has thrived at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
CSK Home Matches at MA Chidambaram Stadium The Chepauk Fortress
CSK will play their first home game this season on April 3 when they host the Punjab Kings. Against Shreyas Iyer’s aggressive PBKS batting unit, CSK could effectively deploy the spin duo of Noor Ahmad and Rahul Chahar.
The next 2026 IPL CSK match for Gaikwad’s team at the Chepauk stadium will be a face-off with the Axar Patel-captained Delhi Capitals on April 11. Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed could play a crucial role in this fixture, having played for Delhi for three seasons in a row until 2024.
Phase-1 IPL CSK match home schedule:
| Home Match | Opponent | Date | CSK Bowling Plan | Pitch Advantage |
| vs PBKS | Punjab Kings | April 3 | Noor Ahmad + Rahul Chahar spin web | Low and slow pitch can trap PBKS batsmen |
| vs DC | Delhi Capitals | April 11 | Khaleel Ahmed’s new-ball swing threat | Low-scoring surface gives CSK advantage |
How Chepauk Slow Pitch Becomes CSK Greatest Weapon
For years, CSK had mastered the route of qualifying for the playoffs: CSK’s dominance at their home ground in Chepauk during the league stage made it an intimidating factor for any visiting team.
Dhoni had used the spin-friendly, dry, grippy pitch at the Chepauk to his team’s advantage with artistic spinners and world-class batsmen of slow bowling.
CSK hold the record for the most matches (72) won by a team at its home ground in IPL history. However, that tight hold on the home games had slipped in the last couple of seasons; fortress Chepauk had been breached eight times in the last 14 games.
Ushering in a new era, CSK would desperately want to regain their home domination.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Leading CSK Batting at Home in 2026
In the CSK matches in IPL 2026, Ruturaj Gaikwad will be under pressure to deliver both as a batsman and a captain now that the franchise has gone two consecutive seasons with a league-stage exit and Gaikwad himself needs a push-up in his stock as a batsman.
He also needs to gain the faith of the local crowd, and that could be done with some runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where he has an impressive record: 764 runs in 18 innings at an average of 50 with one century and six half-centuries.
CSK Squad Breakdown The New Weapons They Carry Into IPL 2026
We will see several new faces in the IPL 2026 CSK matches as the five-time champions acquired nine players in the auction.
CSK auction buys IPL 2026:
- Prashant Veer – INR 14.2 Cr (left-handed spin-bowling all-rounder)
- Kartik Sharma – INR 14.2 Cr (wicketkeeper-batter)
- Rahul Chahar – INR 5.2 Cr (leg-spinner)
- Akeal Hosein – INR 2 Cr (T20 specialist left-arm spinner)
- Matt Henry – INR 2 Cr (experienced international pacer)
- Sarfaraz Khan – INR 75 lakh (in-form Indian batsman)
- Matthew Short – INR 1.50 Cr (BBL-experienced all-rounder)
- Aman Khan – INR 40 lakh (Indian fast-bowling all-rounder)
- Zakary Foulkes – INR 75 lakh (New Zealand pacer)
Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma The ₹14.2 Crore Gamble That Could Define CSK
In the most shocking move in the IPL 2026 auction, CSK splurged INR 14.2 crore each on two uncapped, untested Indian youngsters: wicketkeeper and middle-order batsman Kartik Sharma and left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Prashant Veer. Each of them sealed the joint-most-expensive uncapped player IPL record price.
What makes this move even more baffling is that neither of them is a likely first-choice player. They have combined experience of only 21 T20 matches so far.
Yes, CSK have made investments in them for the future, but spending INR 14.2 crore on each is a gamble that has more chances of backfiring than succeeding.
SWOT Analysis Can CSK Win Their Sixth IPL Title in 2026
Let’s check out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for CSK matches in IPL 2026.
| Strengths:Sanju Samson’s formFresh batting lineupChennai home advantage | Weaknesses:Inexperienced young batsmenLack of a world-class T20 overseas pacerGaikwad’s ordinary captaincy record |
| Opportunities:Samson to make a mark at CSKPromising young batsmenA sixth IPL trophy | Threats:Huge spending on Prashant and Kartik could backfireBrevis’ inconsistencyBowlers prone to leaking runs under pressure |
Conclusion
Time for the CSK IPL 2026 season prediction. The fresh facade of CSK this year could either seem them going all the way or a near-repeat of last season’s wooden-spoon finish. That is because while the newcomers are not bogged down by CSK’s recent past, getting to play in a high-pressure environment of CSK, especially at the Chepauk in front of a passionate home crowd, could be overwhelming for the younger players.
Not many can resoundingly claim that CSK are a strong title contender in 2026. But the five-time champions have a great opportunity to earn at least two wins in Chennai in their four matches of Phase 1, gain momentum, and get on a roll.
A riveting CSK season awaits the fans. Follow CSK matches in IPL 2026 on this website.
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