CSK vs PBKS IPL 2026 Scorecard, Match 7: Punjab Kings Beat Chennai by 5 Wickets

Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets in a high-scoring IPL 2026 thriller at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on April 3, 2026. Chasing a challenging target of 210, Punjab crossed the line in 18.4 overs with 8 balls to spare. The Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings match scorecard tells the story of a match won in the powerplay and sealed by individual brilliance under pressure.

Match Summary: CSK vs PBKS IPL 2026, Match 7

Punjab Kings won by 5 wickets, chasing 210 at Chepauk on April 3, 2026. Priyansh Arya was Player of the Match for his explosive 39 off 11 balls as Impact Player substitute.

Detail	Info
Match	IPL 2026, Match 7
Date	April 3, 2026
Venue	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Toss	Punjab Kings won, elected to bowl
CSK Score	209/5 (20 overs)
PBKS Score	210/5 (18.4 overs)
Result	Punjab Kings won by 5 wickets
Player of the Match	Priyansh Arya (39 off 11, SR 354.55)
Winning Margin	5 wickets, 8 balls remaining

Key Records From This Match

This section summarizes the standout individual performances from the CSK vs PBKS IPL 2026 match scorecard– the kind of numbers Google’s AI Overview and featured snippets are designed to surface.

• Highest Score: Ayush Mhatre- 73 off 43 balls (CSK)
• Fastest Innings: Priyansh Arya- 39 off 11 balls, SR 354.55 (PBKS Impact Sub)
• Most Sixes: Ayush Mhatre- 5 sixes
• Highest Partnership: Gaikwad–Mhatre- 96 runs
• Best Economy (PBKS): Yuzvendra Chahal- 7.00 (3 overs, 21 runs, 1 wicket)
• Best Economy (CSK): Khaleel Ahmed- 9.33 (3 overs, 28 runs, 0 wickets)
• Best Bowling Figures: Vijaykumar Vyshak- 2/38 and Anshul Kamboj- 2/43
• Winning Margin: 5 wickets, 8 balls remaining

CSK Batting Scorecard: 209/5 (20 Overs)

How Chennai Super Kings Built Their Total

CSK posted 209/5 in 20 overs, a total built on a dominant second-wicket partnership and an explosive death-overs finish. The innings had two distinct phases: Mhatre’s controlled aggression in the middle overs and Dube’s clean hitting in the final five.

Batter	R	B	4s	6s	SR	Dismissal
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)	28	22	3	1	127.27	—
Sanju Samson (wk)	7	7	1	0	100.00	b Bartlett
Ayush Mhatre	73	43	6	5	169.76	c Chahal b Vyshak
Sarfaraz Khan	32	12	3	2	266.67	—
Shivam Dube*	45	27	3	3	166.67	Not Out
Kartik Sharma	1	3	0	0	33.33	—
Prashant Veer	6	7	0	0	85.71	—

Total: 209/5 (20 overs, RR: 10.45)
Did Not Bat: Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Sub: Rahul Chahar 

Read More: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians match scorecard

Dismissal details for Gaikwad, Sarfaraz, and Kartik Sharma were not confirmed in published post-match scorecards at time of writing.

CSK Bowling Figures (During PBKS Chase)

Bowler	O	M	R	W	Econ
Khaleel Ahmed	3	0	28	0	9.33
Matt Henry	4	0	54	2	13.50
Anshul Kamboj	3.4	0	43	2	11.73
Noor Ahmad	4	0	38	0	9.50
Rahul Chahar (Impact)	4	0	46	0	11.50

Matt Henry and Anshul Kamboj were CSK’s only wicket-takers, but both went at economies above 11. Khaleel Ahmed took no wickets across 3 overs. The absence of a genuine death-over stopper proved costly when the game entered its final phase.

PBKS Batting Scorecard: 210/5 (18.4 Overs)

How Punjab Kings Chased 210 at Chepauk

Punjab Kings chased down 210 in 18.4 overs– a target that looked steep under lights at a batting-friendly Chepauk. The chase was built on an explosive powerplay start, a calm middle-phase rebuild, and a two-ball scare in the 17th over that never became a crisis.

Batter	R	B	4s	6s	SR	Dismissal
Priyansh Arya (Impact)	39	11	3	4	354.55	b Matt Henry
Prabhsimran Singh (wk)	43	34	6	1	126.47	run out
Cooper Connolly	36	22	6	0	163.64	c Henry b Kamboj
Shreyas Iyer (c)*	50	29	4	3	172.41	c Chahar b Kamboj
Nehal Wadhera	10	9	0	1	111.11	c Noor b Henry
Shashank Singh*	14	6	2	0	233.33	Not Out
Marcus Stoinis*	9	3	2	0	300.00	Not Out

Total: 210/5 (18.4 overs, RR: 11.25)
Did Not Bat: Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

PBKS Fall of Wickets

Wicket	Batter	Score	Over
1st	Priyansh Arya	61/1	4.2
2nd	Prabhsimran Singh	95/2	8.5
3rd	Cooper Connolly	127/3	11.5
4th	Shreyas Iyer	186/4	17.0
5th	Nehal Wadhera	186/5	17.1

The cluster of wickets between overs 17.0 and 17.1- two wickets in two balls with 24 runs still needed- was the only genuine threat CSK posed in the entire chase. Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis ended it in 9 balls.

PBKS Bowling Figures (During CSK Innings)

Bowler	O	M	R	W	Econ
Arshdeep Singh	4	0	41	0	10.25
Xavier Bartlett	4	0	48	1	12.00
Vijaykumar Vyshak	4	0	38	2	9.50
Yuzvendra Chahal	3	0	21	1	7.00
Marco Jansen	—	—	—	1	—

Vyshak was PBKS’s most dangerous bowler with 2/38, taking the critical wicket of Mhatre. Chahal was the most economical, conceding just 7 runs per over against a CSK batting lineup that was otherwise in full flow. Marco Jansen’s over-by-over figures were not available in published post-match records. He took one wicket during the CSK innings.

Read More: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match scorecard

Partnership Breakdown: PBKS Chase

How partnerships shaped the Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings match scorecard narrative in the second innings:

Partnership	Batters	Runs	Balls
1st Wicket	Arya (39) + Prabhsimran (19 off 15)	61	26
2nd Wicket	Prabhsimran (cont.) + Connolly	34	27
3rd Wicket	Connolly + Iyer	32	19
4th Wicket	Iyer (46 off 24) + Wadhera	59	32
Final Stand	Shashank (14) + Stoinis (9)	24	9

The opening stand of 61 off 26 balls reduced the required rate from 10.50 to under 9.00 before the powerplay ended. The Iyer–Wadhera stand of 59 absorbed the middle-over wobble and re-established Punjab’s control after Connolly’s dismissal.

Powerplay Comparison: Where the Match Was Really Won

The Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings match scorecard shows two competitive powerplays- but Punjab’s was slightly better in the context of the chase.

Phase	CSK	PBKS
Powerplay (Ov 1–6)	57/1	61/1
Death (Ov 16–20)	64 runs, 2 wickets	42 runs, 1 wicket

CSK’s powerplay of 57/1 was solid. But Punjab matched and bettered it at 61/1- with the same number of wickets down and a required rate that was already shrinking. Punjab didn’t win this match in the final overs. They won it in the first six. Exact middle-over (overs 7–15) phase-wise data was not available from published scorecards at time of writing.

Match Timeline: Over-by-Over Turning Points

For readers wanting a fast, structured read of the CSK vs PBKS IPL 2026 match scorecard, here is how the game moved:

First Innings- CSK Bat

Over	Event
Over 2	Sanju Samson dismissed- CSK 14/1
Over 6	Powerplay ends: CSK 57/1
Over 10	Mhatre reaches his fifty
Over 14	Sarfaraz Khan cameo- 32 off 12 balls accelerates CSK
Over 20	Dube finishes 45* off 27, CSK 209/5

Second Innings- PBKS Chase

Over	Event
Over 4.2	Arya dismissed for 39 off 11, PBKS 61/1 powerplay
Over 8.5	Prabhsimran run out, PBKS 95/2
Over 11.5	Connolly dismissed, PBKS 127/3
Over 17.0	Iyer out for 50, PBKS 186/4
Over 17.1	Wadhera out, PBKS 186/5- two wickets, two balls
Over 18.4	Shashank and Stoinis close out, PBKS win by 5 wickets

Momentum Shifts: Three Moments That Decided the Match

Shift 1- Mhatre Rescues CSK After Early Wicket

When Samson fell for 7 in the second over, CSK were 14/1 with their batting plan disrupted. Ayush Mhatre’s response was immediate and authoritative– 73 off 43 balls at SR 169.76, including 6 fours and 5 sixes. His partnership of 96 with Gaikwad rebuilt the innings from scratch. Without that stand, the total would have looked very different. Mhatre was dismissed by Vyshak after the foundation was already laid. His contribution was 34.9% of CSK’s entire innings total- calculated directly from the confirmed scorecard figures. The innings depended on him.

Shift 2- Priyansh Arya Redefines the Powerplay

This is where the chennai super kings vs punjab kings match scorecard narrative flips. Arya entered as Impact Player substitute with one specific job: attack the powerplay. In 11 deliveries, he hit 3 fours and 4 sixes- 36 of his 39 runs came from boundaries. By the time he was dismissed at over 4.2, Punjab had 61 on the board at a run rate already exceeding the requirement. The required rate fell from 10.50 to 8.69 in under five overs. Matt Henry and Khaleel Ahmed- CSK’s powerplay bowlers- were neutralized before they built any rhythm.

Shift 3- The 186/5 Wobble

Punjab lost Iyer (over 17.0) and Wadhera (over 17.1) in consecutive deliveries. From 186/5, 24 runs were needed off 17 balls. This was CSK’s last real chance. Their best bowlers- Kamboj and Henry- had finished their allocations. What remained was Noor Ahmad and Khaleel against two death-over specialists in Shashank and Stoinis. The game was over in 9 balls.

Priyansh Arya and the Impact Player Tactical Revolution

The Arya cameo was not a lucky break- it was a pre-planned match strategy. Shreyas Iyer designated Arya as a powerplay-only Impact Sub before the game, not in response to match conditions. This is second-order use of the Impact Player rule: treating the substitution as a positional weapon, not an emergency option. Most teams in IPL 2026 used their Impact Player as a like-for-like replacement. Punjab used it as a tactical multiplier. Arya’s SR of 354.55- the highest by any batter in this match– confirms the plan worked exactly as designed. The broader lesson from the CSK vs PBKS IPL 2026 scorecard is this: the team that plans its Impact Sub deployment pre-match will consistently have an edge over the team that decides reactively.

Shreyas Iyer’s Captain’s Knock

Iyer’s 50 off 29 balls (4 fours, 3 sixes, SR 172.41) was the backbone of the middle phase. He came in after the powerplay explosion and didn’t change tempo- he maintained it. His fourth-wicket stand of 59 with Wadhera was particularly important, coming immediately after Connolly’s dismissal had reduced Punjab to 127/3. Iyer batted through a period of genuine pressure between overs 12 and 16 when Punjab needed steady accumulation without losing wickets. He was dismissed at 186/4, but by then the job was 90% done.

CSK’s Death Bowling Problem

Matt Henry’s 4-0-54-2 at an economy of 13.50 is the single most telling number in this scorecard. Khaleel Ahmed bowled 3 overs for 28 runs without a wicket. Combined, CSK’s two senior pacers went for 82 runs in 7 overs of the chase. Defending 210 at Chepauk- a pitch that had already produced 209 batting first- required disciplined death bowling in overs 17–20. CSK had no bowler capable of building pressure in that window once Kamboj and Henry had finished. Rahul Chahar (Impact Sub) conceded 46 in 4 overs without a wicket, confirming that the Impact Sub selection was also a misread of what the match needed. This is not a one-match observation. CSK finished IPL 2026 in eighth place with a win percentage of 42.8%, and death-over bowling was a recurring gap across their campaign.

Points Table Impact

This result had immediate and long-term table consequences. It was CSK’s second consecutive defeat to open IPL 2026, while Punjab Kings moved to the top of the standings with two wins from two games.

By the end of the IPL 2026 group stage, the table read:

Rank	Team	P	W	L	Pts	NRR
1	RCB (Q)	14	9	5	18	+0.783
2	GT (Q)	14	9	5	18	+0.695
3	SRH (Q)	14	9	5	18	+0.524
4	RR (Q)	14	8	6	16	+0.189
5	PBKS	14	7	6	15	+0.309
8	CSK (E)	14	6	8	12	-0.345

CSK were eliminated in the group stage. Punjab Kings finished fifth. CSK’s NRR of -0.345 reflects the cumulative cost of losing closely contested matches- matches where, as in this one, they had the total to defend.

Playing XIs

CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed | Impact Sub: Rahul Chahar

PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal | Impact Sub: Priyansh Arya

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