After a shaky start to their campaign in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would hope to avoid a third straight defeat when they face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Two games into the season, CSK are yet to find their rhythm, with both their batting and bowling units struggling to click in unison. While the tournament is still in its early phase, the margin for error in a short competition remains slim, making this clash a crucial opportunity for Chennai to reset their campaign.

Bowling has been a major concern so far. CSK have conceded 338 runs in just over 30 overs across two matches while picking up only seven wickets, numbers that underline their inability to control the flow of runs or strike at key moments. Their spin duo of Noor Ahmad and Rahul Chahar, expected to play a pivotal role especially in home conditions, have struggled to make an impact, leaking runs without creating pressure.

The pace attack, featuring Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj, has also failed to deliver breakthroughs consistently. With Chinnaswamy’s short boundaries and batting-friendly surface awaiting them, CSK’s bowlers will need a significant improvement to contain a confident opposition line-up.

On the batting front, the spotlight will be firmly on Sanju Samson, whose sluggish starts with single-digit scores of 6 and 7, has deprived CSK of solid starts at the top. While it is still early days, the team will hope the T20 World Cup winner finds his rhythm quickly, especially in a high-stakes clash against a familiar rival.

The middle order, comprising Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan and Ayush Mhatre, has shown promise but will need stronger support from the top to build substantial totals or chase effectively.

RCB, meanwhile, come into the contest well-rested and brimming with confidence after a convincing win in their opening game. Led by the talismanic Virat Kohli, they boast a settled batting unit with players like Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar in fine touch.

Their bowling, once considered a weak link, has also shown marked improvement, with Jacob Duffy stepping up in the absence of Josh Hazlewood.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (captain), Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Kanishk Chouhan, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Satvik Deswal.

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, M.S. Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan.