IPL 2026 CSK vs SRH Playing 11: Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings will square off against Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 63rd match of the IPL 2026 on May 18 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Chennai Super Kings had a mixed campaign in the ongoing season with 6 wins out of 12 games. Despite a poor start, they made a brilliant comeback in the season. However, some defeats in the crucial stage have put his qualification chances under pressure.
On the other hand, SRH had a breakout season in having 7 wins out of 12 games, but a few defeats in the recent games have put them slightly under pressure.
With SRH currently sitting in the 3rd position, CSH are in the 5th position of the IPL 2026 points table.
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and opted to bat. Speaking at the toss, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said, “We are looking to bat first. Looks a bit dry wicket and dew is around as well. Looking to put up a good score and defend it.
[on the surface] It should stop a bit. Against Mumbai Indians, it was not the best of wickets to bat on. Anything around 200 will be a good score here.
[on needing 2 wins] Nothing complicated. It’s just simple for us. We will take one game at a time. We will look to start well, assess the conditions well and put our best foot forward.”
Not really. You have to respect the conditions and choose what’s the best for the conditions. [is MS Dhoni back?] The good news is he’s still here. But he’s not fit enough to play this game. Hopefully we’ll win this one and you never know maybe in the last game. Just one change. Akeal comes in for Gurjapneet,” concluded Gaikwad.
🚨 Toss update from Chennai 🚨@ChennaiIPL won the toss and elected to bat first against @Sunrisers
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/4SxAzYKEvY#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvSRH pic.twitter.com/u4gjxRo6HK
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 18, 2026
Meanwhile, SRH captain Pat Cummins said, “Yeah absolutely. Tonight’s the big night for us.
[On their style of play] That’s T20 cricket. IPL. You have to play in a certain style, even if it doesn’t work. [How is the mood in the camp?] The mood has been great. We know the way we play, it’s not going to work every time.”
[Would they have batted first?] We would have probably bowled. Not too upset. Same as the last game,” concluded Pat Cummins.
IPL 2026 CSK vs SRH Playing 11
Chennai Super Kings Playing 11: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson
Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge
