The Chennai Super Kings host the Delhi Capitals in Match 18 of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The Super Kings are winless in 2026, and come into this game with the hope to get their season underway. While the Capitals are also coming after a one-run loss against the Gujarat Titans, they won their first two games.
Toss Update
Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to bowl first, wanting to chase the score set up by the opposition on a Chennai pitch which has become better
to bat on over the last two years. Axar Patel believes his team is balanced compared to the previous season. Rutraj Gaikwad said that he wanted to bowl first as well, but was indecisive due to the dry nature of the pitch. He put emphasis on the team being in a good zone despite the poor results.
Is Dewald Brevis playing today?
Dewald Brevis finally made his start of the 2026 season after missing the first three games with a side strain. Akeal Hossein makes his IPL debut, coming into the team in place of Matt Henry. Gurjapneet SIngh also made his debut. For the Capitals, Jammu and Kashmir star pacer Auqib Nabi made his debut, with Ashutosh Sharma picked over Nitish Rana
What did the captains say?
Axar Patel (DC)
"We would like to bowl first because the pitch looks good, and whatever score is set, we would prefer to chase it. The IPL is a long tournament and the dressing room atmosphere is very relaxed. The discussion has been around focusing on what we can control, once we reach a certain point, there’s no need to overthink things. So that’s been the mindset, control what’s in our hands. The mood is good. If you look at the balance of our side, we have almost all bases covered. Obviously, based on the options we had, I think we’ve picked a very good combination. Compared to last year, the team looks more balanced and hopefully, we perform well today. As for the surface, it has been a good batting wicket this season. Over the last couple of years in Chennai, it has played well. It’s a red soil pitch, so there should be good bounce. Our aim will be to restrict them to as low a total as possible and then chase it down. There are two changes. Nabi comes in for Vipraj, and Ashutosh Sharma replaces Nitish Rana."
Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK)
"The pitch does look a bit on the drier side. We were actually 50-50 about the toss, but it’s good to back ourselves. The aim is to put our best foot forward today, get that first win and get on the points table. That’s what we’ve been trying over the last couple of games as well. Like I mentioned in the press conference, we’ve been improving in all departments. The batting has been doing really well, it’s just a few key moments where we’ve missed out, and those are the areas we need to capitalise on. But overall, everyone is in a good space and really eager to go. When you look at the balance of the side, we are definitely playing to our potential. It’s great to have Brevis back, he’s excited and ready. The middle order looks solid as well. We’ve also brought in Gurjapneet Singh, who has been bowling well recently, in place of Matt Edwards. For those asking about MS Dhoni, he’s at the hotel watching and supporting us. But yes, very soon, you’ll see him out on the ground."
Playing 11s
Delhi Capitals
KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Players: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana
Chennai Super Kings
Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjapneet Singh
Impact Players: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry
