Chennai Super Kings — 2026 squad, form, fixtures and fantasy picks
Chennai Super Kings coverage for IPL 2026: confirmed squad, fixture list, last-5 form, probable XI, captaincy and coaching set-up, and the fantasy cricket reads the desk is watching.
Season overview
Chennai Super Kings come into the 2026 season as 5-time champions, with 5 W · 2 L after the first seven matches and an NRR of +0.314. The desk's read: Slow-bowling depth, spin-friendly home deck, top-order construction that compounds. Dhoni legacy, Gaikwad leadership.
The captain is Ruturaj Gaikwad, the head coach is Stephen Fleming, and the home venue is MA Chidambaram, Chepauk. Five players we're watching especially closely this week: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway.
Squad sheet
The Chennai Super Kings have eight overseas slots in their 25-man 2026 group. Markings here reflect the latest franchise announcements and may shift between matchweeks.
| Player | Nationality | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) | Indian | Opener |
| Devon Conway | Overseas | Opener |
| Shivam Dube | Indian | Middle order |
| Ajinkya Rahane | Indian | Middle order |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Indian | All-rounder |
| MS Dhoni | Indian | Wicketkeeper |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Overseas | Death bowler |
| Tushar Deshpande | Indian | Pace |
| Maheesh Theekshana | Overseas | Off-spin |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Overseas | Left-arm pace |
| Rachin Ravindra | Overseas | Top order |
| Impact: Sameer Rizvi | Indian | Batter |
Likely XI
The XI that beat LSG:
We anchor the XI around the CSK spine — Ruturaj Gaikwad's call on team balance, the bowler load-outs that match the next pitch, and one overseas slot held open for impact. When rotation is in play, the bench option is named beside the most likely XI so fantasy players aren't guessing.
Next four on the slate
CSK next four: at RR (Apr 13, evening) · vs KKR (Apr 14, afternoon) · at DC (Apr 17, evening) · vs MI (Apr 20, evening).
The list above reflects the league's most recent published update for the Chennai Super Kings run-in. Reschedules or venue moves get reflected on the schedule page the same day the league confirms them — and we mirror the change here so fantasy players building a captain-pick slate around the next match aren't planning around a stale fixture.
Run-rate trajectory and what it shows
The Chennai Super Kings form curve tracks the run-rate scored and conceded across every completed match this season. Sides that trend up in both directions at once are usually top-four material; sides flat or trending down on either axis tend to finish bottom-half. We refresh the CSK curve after every match and surface it on the desk's match-report flow.
Three tactical matchups to watch
The Chennai Super Kings matchups the desk is tracking this season. Each one decides a different phase of the game — the new ball, the middle overs, the chase, or the death.
Spin-on-spin at Chepauk
When two finger-spinners operate in tandem through overs 7-15, the scoring rate drops below seven. CSK's plan is usually to make the opposition play the risk shot first.
Gaikwad's powerplay reads
Chepauk's square turners reward an opener who picks the right ball to attack. The Gaikwad strike rate against pace in the first three overs is the metric that decides the innings.
Pathirana's death yorker
The slower-ball yorker into the block hole is the ball teams fear most at the death. If the lengths drift, even a 170 total looks chaseable.
Fantasy cricket reads for the squad
Where the CSK squad overlaps with this week's fantasy slate, here is where the desk is reading the picks. Three pages the Chennai Super Kings captain-cutters tend to land on first:
- Captain picks: tonight's CSK likely XI is rated against the next opposition, and the captain-candidate list is ranked by fantasy ROI rather than reputation.
- Dream team: the dream-team builder accepts any Chennai Super Kings player, prints the salary cost per pick, and flags combinations that breach the cap before you commit.
- Orange Cap and Purple Cap: the run-scorer and wicket-taker leaderboards have a Chennai Super Kings filter, which is the quickest way to see whether the form curve is real or noise.
Common reader questions
Who is the Chennai Super Kings captain?
The Chennai Super Kings captain for IPL 2026 is Ruturaj Gaikwad, with Stephen Fleming continuing as head coach.
What is the Chennai Super Kings home venue?
The Chennai Super Kings play their home matches at MA Chidambaram, Chepauk.
How many times have the Chennai Super Kings won the IPL?
Chennai Super Kings — 5-time champions.
When is the Chennai Super Kings's next match?
The next four CSK fixtures: at RR (Apr 13, evening) · vs KKR (Apr 14, afternoon) · at DC (Apr 17, evening) · vs MI (Apr 20, evening). The shortest path to the next match start time is the schedule-fixtures page.
Which Chennai Super Kings players should fantasy players consider?
The captain-picks page rates the CSK XI against the next opposition each night, and the dream-team builder prints the salary cost per Chennai Super Kings pick. Pair the two before locking in a captain choice.
Has the Chennai Super Kings squad changed for 2026?
Squads shift at the auction window and through mid-season substitutions. This page tracks the CSK squad as it stands today; we update it whenever the franchise confirms a change.
