CSK vs KKR: No MS Dhoni for CSK, Varun Chakravarthy returns for KKR in Chennai
CSK vs KKR: Kolkata Knight Riders made a key change in their bowling attack in their away game against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. Varun Chakravarthy returned to the line-up at the expense of Navdeep Saini.
Chennai Super Kings continue to miss the services of legendary MS Dhoni, with the former India captain remaining sidelined due to a calf injury. CSK, in their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, remained unchanged from their previous game, putting faith in their winning combination.
Chennai beat Delhi Capitals in their last match, courtesy of Sanju Samson, who hit the first century of the Indian Premier League 2026 season. CSK rode on Samson's hundred to beat DC by 23 runs in their home game on April 11.
KKR, on the other hand, brought back Varun Chakravarthy into their line-up. The mystery spinner has been out of action since the team's second game this season. Varun had injured his finger while taking a catch against SRH, but has now returned to the playing XI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 14.
Varun's inclusion meant that pacer Navdeep Saini, who played against Lucknow Super Giants in the last game gave away to the spinner in the playing XI.
CSK vs KKR: PLAYING XIS
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed
WHY IS MS DHONI NOT PLAYING?
CSK talisman MS Dhoni copped a calf strain while training in the nets ahead of CSK's opening game in the IPL. Dhoni has been batting in the nets, but as per the CSK camp, they are i nno hurry of rushing the wicketkeeper batter in their team.
In place of Dhoni, Sanju Samson has kept wickets for CSK and has shown signs of returning to his best with his innings against Delhi Capitals.
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rahane said that the team was finding its feet in the league, and were on the wrong side of the result in the last game.
"I think the last game was really good for us. Unfortunately, the result didn't go our way. But I thought the kind of cricket we played, guys are getting that confidence from the last game. It's all about starting fresh. It's important when things are not going your way, it's important to have that belief, stay positive and having those small, small moments in T20 format is really important. So, now looking forward to this game, we'll start off really well with the ball and then look to chase down the target," Rahane said at the toss on Tuesday, April 14.
Rahane's KKR will look to win their first game of the IPL 22026 season.
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Chennai Super Kings continue to miss the services of legendary MS Dhoni, with the former India captain remaining sidelined due to a calf injury. CSK, in their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, remained unchanged from their previous game, putting faith in their winning combination.
Chennai beat Delhi Capitals in their last match, courtesy of Sanju Samson, who hit the first century of the Indian Premier League 2026 season. CSK rode on Samson's hundred to beat DC by 23 runs in their home game on April 11.
KKR, on the other hand, brought back Varun Chakravarthy into their line-up. The mystery spinner has been out of action since the team's second game this season. Varun had injured his finger while taking a catch against SRH, but has now returned to the playing XI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 14.
Varun's inclusion meant that pacer Navdeep Saini, who played against Lucknow Super Giants in the last game gave away to the spinner in the playing XI.
CSK vs KKR: PLAYING XIS
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed
WHY IS MS DHONI NOT PLAYING?
CSK talisman MS Dhoni copped a calf strain while training in the nets ahead of CSK's opening game in the IPL. Dhoni has been batting in the nets, but as per the CSK camp, they are i nno hurry of rushing the wicketkeeper batter in their team.
In place of Dhoni, Sanju Samson has kept wickets for CSK and has shown signs of returning to his best with his innings against Delhi Capitals.
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rahane said that the team was finding its feet in the league, and were on the wrong side of the result in the last game.
"I think the last game was really good for us. Unfortunately, the result didn't go our way. But I thought the kind of cricket we played, guys are getting that confidence from the last game. It's all about starting fresh. It's important when things are not going your way, it's important to have that belief, stay positive and having those small, small moments in T20 format is really important. So, now looking forward to this game, we'll start off really well with the ball and then look to chase down the target," Rahane said at the toss on Tuesday, April 14.
Rahane's KKR will look to win their first game of the IPL 22026 season.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
