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Punjab Kings (PBKS) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in both teams' second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer said he chose to bowl first because the pitch looked fresh and he wanted to assess its behaviour early. He added that PBKS are confident due to their strong lineup and momentum from the previous match, while also acknowledging CSK as a consistently strong side, and emphasised focusing on playing their best cricket. "I feel the wicket is fresh. It would be a great thing to know how the wicket is going to play. So, based on those, I've taken this decision. (About their recent record against CSK) It gives us immense confidence considering the line-up that we have. Also, the motivation we got from the last game, definitely we'll rub on today. They also have a tremendous team who have been playing consistently great cricket over the years. So, we just want to play to the best of our abilities and see to it that we put the best foot forward today," Iyer said at the toss presentation. PBKS are coming off a three-wicket victory against the Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 campaign opener. In that match, Cooper Connolly, who was playing his first-ever IPL match, scored an impressive unbeaten 72 in what was a tricky chase. PBKS will aim to continue the winning momentum and register their second consecutive win. CSK, on the other hand, received a proper drubbing at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in their first match of the ongoing tournament. After CSK posted a meagre 127 on the board batting first, Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blasted a 17-ball 52 to take his side over the line in just 12.1 overs, handing CSK an eight-wicket defeat. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will look to rebound after the heavy loss and get their first points in the IPL 2026. CSK vs PBKS playing 11s Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal. Punjab Kings Impact subs: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant Brar Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed. Chennai Super Kings Impact subs: Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh. (ANI)
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