Punjab Kings on Friday, April 3, 2026 at M.A. Chennai, Chennai. Achieved a spectacular five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the 7th match of IPL 2026 at Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk). Chasing a target of 210, PBKS scored 210/5 in 18.4 overs (with eight balls remaining), handing CSK their second consecutive defeat this season.
CSK scored 209/5 in 20 overs, with young batsman Ayush Mhatre scoring a quickfire 73 off 43 balls and Shivam Dubey remaining unbeaten on 45. Punjab’s bowlers, led by Vijaykumar Vaishak (2/38), managed to keep the hosts in check despite brief bursts of pace.
Chasing the target, PBKS started with a bang. Openers Priyansh Arya (39 runs off 11 balls) and Prabhsimran Singh (43 runs off 34 balls) made a quick-fire partnership of 61 runs in just 4.2 overs. After this, captain Shreyas Iyer played a captain’s inning, in which he scored a quick 50 runs in 29 balls and along with Nehal Vadhera handled the middle order. The win was PBKS’s second consecutive win in the tournament.
The victory celebrations were somewhat overshadowed by the slow over-rate fine. This was PBKS’s second offense in the IPL 2026 season under Article 2.22 of the IPL Code of Conduct. Captain Shreyas Iyer was fined ₹24 lakh (double the ₹12 lakh fine imposed for the first offense against Gujarat Titans). The remaining members of the playing XI, including the impact player, were fined ₹6 lakh each or 25% of their match fees, whichever is less.
The IPL’s official statement confirmed these restrictions, saying that the team struggled to maintain the required pace while bowling, especially in the latter stages of CSK’s innings. ### Iyer’s comments
After the match, Iyer praised the explosive opening partnership: “The way we started today, I think it was a tremendous start for us. Priyansh and Prabhsimran did a great job in the beginning and then made it easy for us… It’s great to see them give us starts like that, and it also keeps our momentum going.”
The win boosted PBKS’s early momentum, but repeated over-rate violations serve as a warning. Further violations could result in harsher penalties, including possible captain suspension. PBKS will now try to maintain their winning streak by maintaining discipline in fielding and bowling in the upcoming matches.
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