The Chennai Super Kings travel to Ahmedabad with the knowledge that a loss will eliminate their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. Even a victory in their last league stage game won't ensure a top-four finish, but they are still hanging on by a thread in a season marred by injury. Not at all.
However, they would prefer to prevail and put pressure on the other candidates.
In contrast, the Gujarat Titans are one of the three teams that have guaranteed a postseason berth. But after losing their previous game, they will want to win this one to improve their chances of finishing in the top two and to make sure they don't go to the knockout stages after losing back-to-back games.
Players to keep an eye on: Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rashid Khan
Rashid
Rashid Khan's most costly IPL stats came after KKR dismissed him for 57 in four wicketless overs in his most recent match. He was also dismissed for 21 in the one over he bowled by CSK earlier in the season at Chepauk. Rashid has taken 16 wickets in 13 games this season, making him one of GT's main middle-overs trump cards; these two performances, however, are aberrations. He'll want to put on a big show to end the league stage.
Ruturaj
Despite being CSK's second-highest run scorer this season, Ruturaj Gaikwad's powerplay strike rate of 121—the lowest among batters with 200 or more runs—highlights how swiftly the game has shifted away from the conventional anchor role he has frequently attempted to play. Despite Gaikwad's failure to live up to the expectations he created during his stellar 2024 season (he finished second in the orange cap race), coach Stephen Fleming has continued to support him. Even though Gaikwad may not yet be feeling the fire in terms of leadership, the pressure to improve his batting is growing as a result of CSK's disappointing performance and Sanju Samson's impressive maiden season with the team.
Constructing in Ahmedabad
At the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ruturaj Gaikwad made the right call when the Chennai Super Kings decided to bowl on a red-soil surface that he believed would have "some pace and bounce."
Akeal Hosein and Prashant Veer, two left-arm spin all-rounders, were replaced by batting all-rounder Matt Short and left-arm seamer Gurjapneet Singh.
MS Dhoni will not be playing, as previously reported. He really returned home to Ranchi to tend to a finger issue, so he isn't even at the event.
Kartik Sharma, who has shown promise at No. 4 in recent games, is probably going to be CSK's Impact Sub.
Gujarat Titans, the hosts, replaced left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore with quick bowler Prasidh Krishna. In actuality, Prasidh is included in their Impact Subs.
To maintain their slender chances of making the playoffs, CSK just has to win by a large margin. With a "Q" next to their name on the points table, GT is aiming for a top-two finish.
Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Nishant Sindhu, 5 Washington Sundar, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Rahul Tewatia, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Arshad Khan, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Impact sub options: Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kumar Kushagra
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Urvil Patel, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Matt Short, 7 Anshul Kamboj, 8 Noor Ahmad, 9 Spencer Johnson, 10 Mukesh Choudhary, 11 Gurjapneet Singh
Impact Sub options: Kartik Sharma, Macneil Noronha, Sarfaraz Khan, Kuldip Yadav, Aman Khan
Samson takes a hit on the finger
Keeping wickets, not batting, and dealing with bumpers.
Sai Sudharsan leaves Spencer Johnson's hard-length delivery down leg alone, but it swerves away late to catch Samson off balance.
He frantically extends his left glove to stop the ball in an attempt to move fast, but it flicks his fingers and flees to the boundary for five wides.
While Samson runs off to tend to his injuries in the dugout, Urvil Patel, a local youngster who plays domestic cricket for Gujarat, assumes responsibility for wicketkeeping.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill appears to be in an arrogant mood. GT reaches 23/0 in two overs thanks to a punch on the up through the covers and a stunning straight drive off in a 15-run over against Johnson.
Gill is in exquisite touch
Johnson's second and fourth innings ended with consecutive fours.
He hasn't hesitated to put bowlers in control. He carved full deliveries over cover and point twice by moving the leg-side of the ball. Gill's strategy hasn't been impacted by the faster bowlers' slight swing.
In two wicketless overs, Johnson has already given up thirty runs.
In just four overs, GT raced to 45/0.
Welcome to Kamboj
4 1 6 1 1lb 1
He is given the task of lifting him over mid-off by Sudharsan.
To clear long-on, Gill gets up and swings through the line.
Runs are still coming in. In six overs, GT scored 62/0.
Gill fixes the anomaly
Gill's lack of home runs this season was a minor setback in an otherwise successful campaign. However, he made amends today, hitting two sixes from Noor Ahmed to reach his second half-century at home on 23 balls.
Sudharsan fights, Gill flies
The bowlers are being flayed from every angle.
The other is content to get down on his knees and play bowlers.
It takes 23 balls to reach a half-century.
After 22 balls, another is aiming for a run-a-ball.
In eight overs, GT scored 81/0.
Sai Sudharsan: the epitome of constancy
Only three batters—Virender Sehwag, David Warner, and Jos Buttler—have previously reached five consecutive IPL fifties.
Additionally, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill have set an IPL record with their seventh stand of 100 or more.
Gurjapneet Singh had excellent stats of 3-0-16-0 among the chaos. When a swipe to play a short-arm jab resulted in a tickle through to the keeper in the eighth over on 51, he should have had Gill, but nobody appealed.
After a little pause, Gill collapses
Before an attempt to flick Spencer Johnson through midwicket results in a top-edge that is expertly saved by Shivam Dube running back from the ring's edge, he reached his half-century from 23 balls, but only managed 14 off the next 13. In the thirteenth over, GT 125/1.
Gurjapneet completes
4-0-31-0 figures are more than acceptable. If the last over hadn't been carted for 16, it could have been much better. He threw a delicious full toss that Sudharsan smashed over deep midwicket in an attempt to go wide Yorkers, and Buttler pounded a long-hop over the midwicket boundary. GT 201/1 with two overs left.
Buttler strength
Anshul Kamboj, who keeps searching for the wide yorker from outside the stumps but frequently misses his lengths and sees the ball scythed over covers, helps him to a 23-ball half-century with back-to-back fours.
The return of Kamboj
Sai Sudharsan leaves Spencer Johnson's hard-length delivery down leg alone, but it swerves away late to catch Samson off balance.
He frantically extends his left glove to stop the ball in an attempt to move fast, but it flicks his fingers and flees to the boundary for five wides.
While Samson runs off to tend to his injuries in the dugout, Urvil Patel, a local youngster who plays domestic cricket for Gujarat, assumes responsibility for wicketkeeping.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill appears to be in an arrogant mood. GT reaches 23/0 in two overs thanks to a punch on the up through the covers and a stunning straight drive off in a 15-run over against Johnson.
Gill is in exquisite touch
Johnson's second and fourth innings ended with consecutive fours.
He hasn't hesitated to put bowlers in control. He carved full deliveries over cover and point twice by moving the leg-side of the ball. Gill's strategy hasn't been impacted by the faster bowlers' slight swing.
In two wicketless overs, Johnson has already given up thirty runs.
In just four overs, GT raced to 45/0.
Welcome to Kamboj
4 1 6 1 1lb 1
He is given the task of lifting him over mid-off by Sudharsan.
To clear long-on, Gill gets up and swings through the line.
Runs are still coming in. In six overs, GT scored 62/0.
Gill fixes the anomaly
Gill's lack of home runs this season was a minor setback in an otherwise successful campaign. However, he made amends today, hitting two sixes from Noor Ahmed to reach his second half-century at home on 23 balls.
Sudharsan fights, Gill flies
The bowlers are being flayed from every angle.
The other is content to get down on his knees and play bowlers.
It takes 23 balls to reach a half-century.
After 22 balls, another is aiming for a run-a-ball.
In eight overs, GT scored 81/0.
Sai Sudharsan: the epitome of constancy
Only three batters—Virender Sehwag, David Warner, and Jos Buttler—have previously reached five consecutive IPL fifties.
Additionally, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill have set an IPL record with their seventh stand of 100 or more.
Gurjapneet Singh had excellent stats of 3-0-16-0 among the chaos. When a swipe to play a short-arm jab resulted in a tickle through to the keeper in the eighth over on 51, he should have had Gill, but nobody appealed.
After a little pause, Gill collapses
Before an attempt to flick Spencer Johnson through midwicket results in a top-edge that is expertly saved by Shivam Dube running back from the ring's edge, he reached his half-century from 23 balls, but only managed 14 off the next 13. In the thirteenth over, GT 125/1.
Gurjapneet completes
4-0-31-0 figures are more than acceptable. If the last over hadn't been carted for 16, it could have been much better. He threw a delicious full toss that Sudharsan smashed over deep midwicket in an attempt to go wide Yorkers, and Buttler pounded a long-hop over the midwicket boundary. GT 201/1 with two overs left.
Buttler strength
Anshul Kamboj, who keeps searching for the wide yorker from outside the stumps but frequently misses his lengths and sees the ball scythed over covers, helps him to a 23-ball half-century with back-to-back fours.
The return of Kamboj
34
In IPL 2026, Kamboj has given up the most sixes of any bowler, surpassing Rashid Khan's 33 in 2025.
31.4 overs, 269 runs, 17 wickets, 8.49 economy, and 10 sixes in the first nine games
18.4 overs, 261 runs, 4 wickets, 13.98 economy, and 24 sixes in the last five games
Samson zero
Samson spends only two overs in the field, making it a forgettable evening. Recall that when trying to stop the ball in the second over, he sustained a finger injury. He's now out in a tough chase after taking Mohammed Siraj's first ball.
Siraj's celebration of X
You would pay to watch Gaikwad's lofted drives through the line over cover, which is exactly what you've come to expect from him. However, it was definitely not in the cards for him to shuffle across for a scoop against Mohammed Siraj. The CSK crowd erupted in cheers after he ripped a pick-up off his pads for six. However, Siraj got the last word and cleaned him up by sneaking one through with a peach.
After a quick collision, Prasidh Krishna makes a wonderful grab at deep backwards square leg as Urvil Patel flicks one straight into the night sky, ruining his homecoming. CSK is rapidly disintegrating. 29/3 in the third over.
Short is insufficient
Short tries to push the pace with hard length on off, but he can only hit it off the inside-edge to mid-on. CSK 51/4 in the sixth, out for a cameo 24
Gill's genius, Kartik
Despite a full-length dive, Kartik cannot be protected from a straight hit from mid-off; he must walk back. He didn't start running right away since his weight was on his back foot. Gill has the most flawless throws and pick-ups. Bull's eye. In the seventh, CSK 63/5.
Dube launches an assault against GT
Dube has made a strong statement. Under the circumstances, it's not a bad ploy. His batting performance in the competition has been subpar. In the event of a collapse, this might be the most effective strategy to combat it. The way Dube hit Holder's length ball on the rise over long-on for six stood out to me. Dube quickly advances to 41 off 15 after his first over is dismissed for 18. After 10 overs, CSK is 109/5.
Overs 8–10 have been tonked for 47.
150
Regardless of the outcome between RCB and SRH, GT must hold CSK to that score to finish in the top two.
Dube's celebration is finished
Gill must make a spectacular grab while sprinting back from cover to throw Dube back after he is out for 47 off 17. For a moment, he stunned GT as he started to take the bull by the horns. He continued to push bowlers into the stands when they made mistakes with their lengths. No more.
GT up to Q1
CSK is bowled out for 140 in a very short time. GT has advanced to Qualifier-1 as a result. When RCB plays SRH tomorrow, the second slot will be determined.
CSK had a glimmer of hope when Dube went crazy for a little while, but they fell apart after he was bowled out in just 13.4 overs.
In IPL 2026, Kamboj has given up the most sixes of any bowler, surpassing Rashid Khan's 33 in 2025.
31.4 overs, 269 runs, 17 wickets, 8.49 economy, and 10 sixes in the first nine games
18.4 overs, 261 runs, 4 wickets, 13.98 economy, and 24 sixes in the last five games
Samson zero
Samson spends only two overs in the field, making it a forgettable evening. Recall that when trying to stop the ball in the second over, he sustained a finger injury. He's now out in a tough chase after taking Mohammed Siraj's first ball.
Siraj's celebration of X
You would pay to watch Gaikwad's lofted drives through the line over cover, which is exactly what you've come to expect from him. However, it was definitely not in the cards for him to shuffle across for a scoop against Mohammed Siraj. The CSK crowd erupted in cheers after he ripped a pick-up off his pads for six. However, Siraj got the last word and cleaned him up by sneaking one through with a peach.
After a quick collision, Prasidh Krishna makes a wonderful grab at deep backwards square leg as Urvil Patel flicks one straight into the night sky, ruining his homecoming. CSK is rapidly disintegrating. 29/3 in the third over.
Short is insufficient
Short tries to push the pace with hard length on off, but he can only hit it off the inside-edge to mid-on. CSK 51/4 in the sixth, out for a cameo 24
Gill's genius, Kartik
Despite a full-length dive, Kartik cannot be protected from a straight hit from mid-off; he must walk back. He didn't start running right away since his weight was on his back foot. Gill has the most flawless throws and pick-ups. Bull's eye. In the seventh, CSK 63/5.
Dube launches an assault against GT
Dube has made a strong statement. Under the circumstances, it's not a bad ploy. His batting performance in the competition has been subpar. In the event of a collapse, this might be the most effective strategy to combat it. The way Dube hit Holder's length ball on the rise over long-on for six stood out to me. Dube quickly advances to 41 off 15 after his first over is dismissed for 18. After 10 overs, CSK is 109/5.
Overs 8–10 have been tonked for 47.
150
Regardless of the outcome between RCB and SRH, GT must hold CSK to that score to finish in the top two.
Dube's celebration is finished
Gill must make a spectacular grab while sprinting back from cover to throw Dube back after he is out for 47 off 17. For a moment, he stunned GT as he started to take the bull by the horns. He continued to push bowlers into the stands when they made mistakes with their lengths. No more.
GT up to Q1
CSK is bowled out for 140 in a very short time. GT has advanced to Qualifier-1 as a result. When RCB plays SRH tomorrow, the second slot will be determined.
CSK had a glimmer of hope when Dube went crazy for a little while, but they fell apart after he was bowled out in just 13.4 overs.
CSK only has six victories at the end of the season. A dismal conclusion to a campaign that only looked like it might take off. They have a lot to look back on in terms of squad balance and personnel.
What should SRH do tomorrow?
If they score 220, win by 88 runs; if they score 200, win by 87. All of this to join GT in Q1. Otherwise, on May 26, RCB vs. GT will take place at Dharamshala.
What should SRH do tomorrow?
If they score 220, win by 88 runs; if they score 200, win by 87. All of this to join GT in Q1. Otherwise, on May 26, RCB vs. GT will take place at Dharamshala.
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