The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will witness Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rishabh Pant take to the field with different ambitions on Sunday afternoon. A win for the home team gives their playoff hopes a massive boost. Pant, on the other hand, will be hoping to win a second successive game. Loss on Sunday will end their IPL 2026 journey in what has been a pretty woeful season so far.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have played amazing cricket in the last few games. They have beaten the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals with an identical margin of eight wickets. Kartik Sharma’s emergence with the bat and the form of Anshul Kamboj with the ball have been huge positives for the home team heading into the business end of the season.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were buoyed by their nine-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the last game. Mitchell Marsh’s century, plus the bowling efforts of Prince Yadavwere the biggest highlights from the win at home. LSG will have to play good cricket on Sunday if they have to win their third game of the season and cause a massive upset.
Here are the top three player battles to watch out for in the CSK vs LSG encounter
Akeal Hosein vs Nicholas Pooran
The Battle of the West Indian stars will be an entertaining affair for the fans at the Chepauk Stadium on Sunday. Hosein is a very good bowler with the new ball and has been able to put the batters under pressure. The left-arm spinner showed his class with figures of 1/19 in the previous game against DC. Pooran has finally come back to form with the bat, albeit very late in the season. The left-handed batter is a dangerous player against spin and employs the slog sweep well. Both players will look to dominate each other and gain an upper hand for their side.
Anshul Kamboj vs Mitchell Marsh
CSK pacer Anshul Kamboj is the joint top -wicket taker this season with 17 scalps. The right-arm seamer has been lethal with the new ball and has also done well in the death overs. If there is one batter who can be a thorn in Chennai’s flesh, it is none other than Mitchell Marsh. The Australian batter scored 111 in the last game vs RCB and currently has 367 runs with the bat for the season. The contest between the two players in the powerplay overs could dictate which way the match is heading.
Sanju Samson vs Prince Yadav
The biggest player battle to watch out for on Sunday is between Sanju Samson and Prince Yadav. Opening batter Samson has scored over 400 runs for the season and tends to set the tone with the bat for his side. Yadav, on the other hand, has bowled with good speed and maintains consistent lengths to trouble the batters. The LSG star will be keen to get rid of the dangerous Chennai batter early and take the bragging rights.
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