CSK looks for home comfort in the battle of Kings

Every time Chennai Super Kings marches into the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, there is palpable excitement and an electric atmosphere. Part of the reason is that the ground was once a fortress, and visiting teams often knew they were underdogs at best.

However, things changed dramatically in the previous season when CSK lost five of six games at home in what turned out to be the team’s worst campaign.

On Friday, when CSK saunters in for their first home match of the season against Punjab Kings, the air might still carry the buzz, but there is bound to be a tinge of nerves as the former champion looks to reassert dominance at Chepauk.

The five-time champion kick-started its 2026 campaign on a sour note, slumping to an eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. Despite beefing up its batting resources, Super Kings could only manage 127 against Royals, from which it never recovered.

Now banking on home comfort and on a pitch that is expected to be benign and flat, Super Kings will hope the firepower it assembled at the auction table delivers where it matters.

It will also be Sanju Samson’s maiden appearance at the den, and the aficionados would want him to deliver straightaway.

However, it won’t be easy against a confident PBKS, which prevailed over the Gujarat Titans. The bowling attack has variety, led by Marco Jansen and the wily Yuzvendra Chahal, who set up that win on Tuesday.

Then, debutant Cooper Connolly showed great temperament in guiding the side through nervy moments to polish off a moderate target. Meanwhile skipper Shreyas Iyer, who copped a blow to his wrist in the last game, seems to be on the mend and is likely to start. The Punjab side got the better of CSK in the last three fixtures at Chepauk and will look to extend that streak in the battle of the Kings.