IPL 2026 CSK vs SRH Today Match Playing XI: Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 63 of the Indian Premier League at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, May, 18, 2026.
The match carries significant playoff implications for both sides. Chennai Super Kings are currently fifth in the standings with 12 points from 12 matches, while Sunrisers Hyderabad are third with 14 points from 12 games. Both teams need victories in their remaining league fixtures to strengthen their qualification hopes.
CSK made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Akeal Hosein in place of Gurjapneet Singh. Sunrisers Hyderabad decided to field an unchanged side.
Chennai come into the contest after suffering a seven-wicket defeat against Lucknow Super Giants despite Kartik Sharma’s 71-run knock. Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, were bowled out for 86 in their previous outing against Gujarat Titans.
Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson
Impact Substitutes:
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Travis Head, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Mukesh Choudhary, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Gurjapneet Singh
Pitch Report
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is expected to offer an interesting contest between bat and ball. The match will be played on pitch number five, a hard black-soil surface with good bounce. The straight boundaries measure around 78 metres, which could bring spinners into play as the game progresses. While previous matches on the surface have produced both 200-plus totals and low-scoring contests, the batting depth of both teams could result in another high-scoring encounter.