IPL 2026: CSK win toss, opt to bowl against RCB in Southern Derby

CSK won the toss and chose to bowl against RCB in their IPL 2026 clash. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad called it a high-scoring pitch and gave an update on MS Dhoni's recovery. Defending champions RCB have a win, while CSK are on a two-game losing streak.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 'Southern Derby' of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2026, on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

After winning the toss, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said that the wicket looks like a high-scoring one. He also noted that MS Dhoni is recovering and may play soon, and expressed confidence in the team. He confirmed the same playing 11 as in the last match. "We will bowl first. Obviously, high scoring ground. Looks like a good pitch, there's going to be some runs. We'll look to restrict them as much as possible. MS is getting back slowly, sometimes it taks time, if he's ready to play, it'll be soon. The first game was disappointing, but our batting was much better in the second game. Everyone is feeling confident. Same team for us," Gaikwad said at the toss.

Team Form and Head-to-Head

Defending champions RCB are coming into the match confident, as they registered a comprehensive six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their season opener. RCB also hold a 3-0 advantage over the Men in Yellow as both teams' last three IPL encounters have ended with RCB coming out on top.

CSK, meanwhile, are reeling from back-to-back losses. They suffered their first setback of the season at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals, and then faced another defeat against the Punjab Kings at Chepauk. The team will aim to get back on track with a win against the Rajat Patidar-led side.

RCB vs CSK Playing 11s

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy.

RCB Impact subs: Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer.

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed.

CSK Impact subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh. (ANI)

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