IPL: KKR win toss, opt to chase as they face CSK in Chennai

CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday in Chennai. CSK head into this home clash with renewed momentum after snapping a three-game losing streak with a commanding 23-run win over Delhi Capitals.

The night belonged to Sanju Samson, whose sensational unbeaten 115, combined with a brisk 59 from youngster Ayush Mhatre, signalled that the five-time champions may finally have rediscovered their rhythm.

On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves in a desperate position as the only winless side left in the tournament, managing three defeats alongside one washed-out fixture.

Toss @KKRiders won the toss and elected to bowl first against @ChennaiIPL in Chennai.

Updates https://t.co/jWkXVCPxj5#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/W8VJ0DBKL7

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2026

“Looking to bowl first. 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 the T20 format is really important. So, now looking forward to this game, we’ll start really well with the ball and then look to chase down the target. Tonight, just one change for us. Varun Chakaravarthy is fit. He’s come in in place of Navdeep Saini,” Rahane said during the toss.

“We would have bowled first as well. But as I said, you know, the wicket hasn’t changed much throughout the course of the game. So not much of a difference. Definitely putting a big total on the scoreboard in the first innings will be challenging, but as I said, you know, it looks like a really good surface. Yes, as I said, even in the post-match as well, I felt the bowling was really good defending 210, you know, against a strong DC side. Gave us a lot of confidence, and you know, even the fielding unit was charged up. We saved a few runs, and that is how I think collectively we did really well. Really exciting today as well. We got a job to do, and everyone is feeling confident. We are going with the same team,” CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said.

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed.

CSK Impact Subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.

KKR Impact subs: Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Navdeep Saini. (ANI)