IPL 2026: Akash's 3-fer, Marsh's 90 dent CSK's playoff hopes as party poopers LSG record 7-wicket win

LSG crush CSK by 7 wickets

Akash Singh-afflicted CSK posted a challenging total of 187/5 riding on Kartik Sharma's solid fifty. In reply, LSG rode on Mitchell Marsh's blistering 90 to get the job done for LSG with 20 balls to spare.

CSK are still stranded on 12 points and need to win both their remaining matches to ensure their playoff qualifications.

Mitchell Marsh's 90 seal the deal for LSG

While the pitch offered some noticeable assistance for bowlers who were willing to dig the ball in, the Chennai Super Kings bowling attack struggled to adapt. Instead of utilizing the deck's bounce, they persistently pitched the ball up in search of a swing that simply wasn't there. When they did try to adjust by bowling shorter, their attempted bouncers frequently turned into harmless half-trackers, an error that Mitchell Marsh was more than happy to exploit. The 34-year-old Australian power-hitter feasted on these erratic deliveries in his trademark aggressive style.

The milestone only seemed to accelerate Marsh's scoring appetite, but the dominant opening partnership was eventually broken when Josh Inglis skied a Mukesh Choudhary delivery to Urvil Patel. Marsh looked well on his way to a second century of the season until his innings ended in incredibly unfortunate fashion. A firm straight drive from partner Nicholas Pooran deflected off the fingers of bowler Mukesh Choudhary and crashed into the stumps at the non-striker's end, leaving Marsh stranded out of his crease for a brilliant 90.

Anshul Komboj leaks runs like freebies

Marsh's freak dismissal caused a brief moment of tension for the Super Giants, leaving them needing a run-a-ball 24 from the final four overs. However, Nicholas Pooran quickly extinguished any hopes of a CSK comeback. Channeling Marsh's earlier heroics, Pooran (32 off 17 balls) launched Anshul Kamboj for four consecutive sixes to wrap up the chase effortlessly in just 16.4 overs. The late assault put the finishing touches on a nightmarish outing for Kamboj, who finished with expensive figures of 0/63 from his 2.4 overs.

Kartik Sharma's fifty in vain

Earlier, Chennai managed to post a competitive total of 187/5 against LSG. The innings was anchored by a resilient 71-run performance from Kartik Sharma and capped off by a late-inning surge from Shivam Dube, who remained unbeaten with 32 runs off just 16 deliveries. After being asked to bat first, openers Sanju Samson and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad initially provided a steady foundation, taking the score to 20 in the opening two overs.

However, the momentum swung sharply in favor of the hosts during the powerplay, thanks to a clinical spell from LSG pacer Akash Singh. He first removed Gaikwad for 13 and quickly followed up by dismissing Samson for 20, leaving the Super Kings struggling at 37/2 after six overs. Akash continued his dominance into the eighth over, claiming his third wicket by sending back Urvil Patel for six, which left CSK reeling at 61/3 and forced a mid-innings rebuild.

The recovery was led by Kartik Sharma and Dewald Brevis, who meticulously steadied the ship to reach 108/3 by the 13th over. Kartik showed great poise, bringing up his second half-century of the season in the 15th over. Despite the progress, Mohammed Shami broke the partnership by dismissing Brevis for 25, and shortly after, Shahbaz Ahmed claimed the prized wicket of Kartik for 71. With the score at 142/5 in the 16th over, CSK looked at risk of falling short of a par total.

In the final overs, the Super Kings found the acceleration they needed through Shivam Dube and Prashant Veer. Dube's aggressive cameo, supported by Veer’s unbeaten 13, allowed the visitors to add 45 runs in the closing stages to finish at 187/5. Akash Singh ended as the standout bowler for LSG with figures of 3/26, while Shami and Shahbaz chipped in with one wicket apiece.