CSK will play their first home game of IPL 2026 on March 30 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at MA Chidambaram Stadium. The contest is the 11th game of the season and will commence from 7:30 PM IST.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and his men are still searching for their maiden victory of the season as they lost both their league matches against Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals and occupy the last spot on the points table. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, captained by Rajat Patidar, had a perfect start to their IPL campaign. They convincingly beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 in their first league game and currently sit at number four.
This match is arguably the biggest one of the IPL 2026 league stages and is the most-anticipated clashes between these two perennial rivals.
In a big blow to CSK, MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the match as he suffered a calf strain. Dhoni is expected to be sidelined for at least a fortnight and is likely to return in the second week of April.
CSK vs RCB Head-to-Head Records
Historically, CSK has always been at an advantage over RCB in the IPL. In the head to head comparison, CSK have 22 wins over RCB which has only 13 victories. One of their most important win against the opponent was the IPL 2011 final, where CSK defeated RCB in the summit clash and became the first team to defend the trophy. However, they got a taste of their own medicine in their 13th year in a must-win league game when RCB trumped CSK to clinch the playoff spot while Chennai bowed out of the tournament.
When it comes to batting, Virat Kohli tops the list of most runs in between the two sides. He has amassed 1146 runs with an average of 38.2 however, the India captain has never registered a century against Chennai in the IPL, whereas his total number of IPL centuries is 8.
MS Dhoni is second on the list with 818 runs in 32 innings, and won't feature in the match, whereas Suresh Raina follows on 710 runs in 26 innings. Ravindra Jadeja is at the top in terms of wickets (18), he was traded to Rajasthan Royals before IPL 2026, and is followed by Dwayne Bravo with 17 and Albie Morkel with 16 wickets. CSK will feel the pressure whereas RCB will be playing to continue their run, meaning this game promises to be a treat in Chennai.