Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants: IPL 2026 Match Preview

Chennai. In the first match of today's double header of IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants are clashing in Chepauk. The match will start at 3:45 PM.

For Chennai, who are in sixth place in the points table, this match is very important to stay in the race for the top 4. On the other hand, Lucknow, in tenth place, faces the possibility of being eliminated from the competition with another loss.

Chennai has been struggling to perform consistently this season. However, the team will be looking to get back into form at Chepauk.

• Seventh time facing each other

So far, there have been 6 matches between the two teams. Chennai has won 2 and Lucknow has won 3 matches, while one match ended in a draw. Last season, Chennai won the match between these two. This season, these two teams are meeting for the first time.

• Sanju Samson: The backbone of Chennai's batting

This season, Chennai's batting is largely dependent on Sanju Samson. Despite suffering a loss against Delhi Capitals in the last match, Samson played an unbeaten innings of 87 runs off 52 balls. He has scored the most runs for the team in 10 matches with 2 centuries, totaling 402 runs.

A big innings is also expected from captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. In the middle order, aggressive batting is expected from Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, and Shivam Dube.

Anshul Kamboj is the team's leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets. Similarly, Akil Hossain and Noor Ahmad could prove very important for Chennai on the Chepauk pitch.

The biggest concern for Chennai fans is MS Dhoni's fitness. Dhoni has not played a single match so far due to a calf injury. Although he has started practicing in the nets, there is still suspense about whether he will be in the playing eleven.

Rishabh Pant's form is a concern

For Lucknow Super Giants, captain Rishabh Pant's form has become a cause for concern. Pant has not been able to perform according to his price tag of 27 crore rupees this season. In the last match against Bengaluru, he scored 32 runs off 10 balls. A bigger innings is still awaited from him.

On the other hand, with Mitchell Marsh's innings of 111 runs off 56 balls, Lucknow broke a streak of 6 consecutive losses. Marsh is the team's highest run-scorer with 367 runs in 10 matches.

Mohammad Shami is leading Lucknow's bowling attack. He is being well supported by young fast bowler Prince Yadav. Prince is the team's highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets in 10 matches. The responsibility of the spin department will be on Shahbaz Ahmed and Digvijay Singh Rathore.

Who to watch

• Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad's performance against Lucknow's middle-order batsmen Aiden Markram (out 1 time, 20 runs at a strike rate of 80), Rishabh Pant (27 runs at a strike rate of 90), and Nicholas Pooran (out 2 times, 2 runs at a strike rate of 25) is very excellent. Chennai will expect the same form from him.

• Digvijay Rathi

Among spinners who have bowled at least 10 overs in this IPL, Digvijay Rathi has taken the fewest wickets (3). This has saved him from the fine he had to pay for his unique wicket celebration last year. However, if he can return to his old form, the matter of emptying his pockets will not matter much. Defending 19 runs in the last over against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow's last match could be a step towards improving his path.

• Spinners favored by Chepauk pitch

The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium is slow and favorable to spinners. As the game progresses, it becomes difficult to bat in the second innings. This benefits the team batting first.

96 IPL matches have been played here. Of these, teams batting first have won 53 matches and teams chasing have won 43 matches. The highest score here is 246/5. That score was made by Chennai against Rajasthan Royals in 2010.

• Weather in Chennai, possibility of light rain

The weather in Chennai on May 10, 2026, during the match between Lucknow and Chennai will be hot. The temperature may rise above 30 degrees. There is a possibility of cloudy skies and light rain. Increased humidity could make players and spectators uncomfortable.

Team situation: Will Dhoni play?

The question remains regarding MS Dhoni for Chennai. He is 44 years old. Only 4 matches are left. If IPL 2026 is his farewell season, time is running out.

Chennai Super Kings: 1. Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), 2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), 3. Urvil Patel, 4. Kartik Sharma, 5. Dewald Brevis, 6. Shivam Dube, 7. Jamie Overton, 8. Akil Hossain, 9. Anshul Kamboj, 10. Noor Ahmad, 11. Mukesh Choudhary, 12. Gurjant Singh.

Jos Inglis, Mohsin Khan, and Avesh Khan missed Lucknow's last match due to minor injuries. It is not clear whether they will be fully ready to be included in the starting eleven.

Lucknow Super Giants: 1. Mitchell Marsh, 2. Jos Inglis/Arshin Kulkarni, 3. Nicholas Pooran, 4. Rishabh Pant, 5. Aiden Markram, 6. Akshat Raghuwanshi, 7. Himmat Singh, 8. Shahbaz Ahmed, 9. Mohammad Shami, 10. Prince Yadav, 11. Mohsin Khan/Mayank Yadav, 12. Digvijay Rathi.

Statistics and interesting facts

• Proof of how dependent Chennai's batting is on Sanju Samson: Chennai has won all 4 matches where he batted after the powerplay. He was out within the powerplay in 6 matches, of which the team won only 1.

• Urvil Patel's ratio of balls per boundary in IPL is 2 (10 sixes and 8 fours in 56 balls). He likes to hit every ball he faces. This style helped the Indian team's batsmen win the T20 World Cup. He may continue his aggressive style for this reason. It is only a matter of time before he faces 20 balls in an innings.

• Mitchell Marsh's average against Chennai is 15.16 and his strike rate is 113.75. His record is worse only against one other IPL team. This is because he has played only one match against Gujarat Titans.

• In his first 8 innings of this IPL, batting at number four and five, Nicholas Pooran's strike rate was 81. In his last 2 innings, getting regular opportunities to bat at number three, his strike rate has increased to 230.

• Mohammad Shami is jointly fourth in the list of highest wicket-takers in the powerplay this season (7 wickets). His record against Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL is very good. However, Samson has batted aggressively against his bowling.