CSK Opt to Bat Against SRH in Crucial IPL 2026 Clash as Dhoni Misses Out Again

Chennai, May 18 : Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 63 of the Indian Premier League 2026 season at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, with both teams looking to strengthen their playoff chances in the closing phase of the league stage.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad opted to put runs on the board on a Chennai surface that he believed would favour batting first as the match progressed.

“We are looking to bat first. Well, it’s nothing complicated, it’s just simple for us. Take it one game at a time, look to win this one, look to start well, look to assess the conditions well, and put your best foot forward,” Gaikwad said after the toss.

Explaining the decision further, the CSK captain said the conditions at Chepauk appeared more suitable for batting upfront.

“Well, nothing, not as such, it’s just that we have to respect conditions and choose what’s best for the conditions. And yes, I think batting first looks good here now,” he added.

Chennai made one change to their playing XI, bringing back Caribbean spinner Akeal Hosein in place of Gurjapneet Singh. However, former captain MS Dhoni continued to remain unavailable due to injury.

Gaikwad confirmed that Dhoni had still not recovered sufficiently to return to action.

“He’s still here, but he’s not fit enough to play this game. Hopefully we win this one, and you’ll have a low in the last game. We got just one chance. Akeal comes in for Gurjapneet,” he said.

For CSK, the match carries enormous significance in the context of the playoff race. The five-time IPL champions are currently placed sixth on the points table with six wins and six defeats from 12 matches. After a difficult start to the season in which they lost their first three games, Chennai managed to revive their campaign and remain mathematically in contention for a top-four finish.

However, their margin for error has now narrowed considerably following a seven-wicket defeat against Lucknow Super Giants in their previous match at the Ekana Stadium. CSK now require victories in both their remaining matches to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, also bounced back strongly after a poor beginning to the season, where they lost three of their opening four matches. Under captain Pat Cummins, SRH climbed to third place in the standings with seven wins from 12 matches and remain well placed to qualify for the playoffs.

Despite their strong position, Hyderabad enter the contest after suffering a heavy 87-run defeat against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Speaking after losing the toss, Cummins said SRH would also have preferred to bowl first but remained confident with the unchanged lineup.

“It’s T20 cricket, and it’s not easy every game. He knows it’s not going to work every game. We would have probably wanted to bowl. Same team as the last game,” Cummins said.

SRH retained the same playing XI, banking on the form of players such as Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

The match is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the playoff race as both teams seek a strong finish to the league stage.

Playing XIs:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge

Impact substitutes: Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson

Impact substitutes: Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Azam Khan, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan

Team Maverick.