Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first in their IPL 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram stadium on April 14. CSK didn't tinker with their side while KKR brought in Varun Chakaravarthy in place of Navdeep Saini in their playing XI. While CSK have already opened their winning account, KKR are still searching for their first win in the ongoing season.
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What did the captains say at the toss?
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, after winning the toss, said:
"Looking to bowl first. I think the last game was really good for us. Unfortunately, the result didn't go our way. But I thought the kind of cricket we played, guys are getting that confidence from the last game. It's all about starting fresh. It's important when things are not going your way, it's important to have that belief, stay positive and having those small, small moments in T20 format is really important. So, now looking forward to this game, we'll start off really well with the ball and then look to chase down the target. Yes, absolutely. The kind of knock Mukul played at the night was fantastic. I mean, it's going to happen in this format. As I said, it's all about belief. You know, guys are working really hard. For us, what matters is, putting those hard efforts, focusing on the control levels as players and, you know, having that belief in each and every individual. As I said, the combination looked really good for us in the last game. So, yeah, thinking about this game and just wanted to be in the moment. I mean, it is challenging after the mega auction to find the right balance and obviously the flow players are going through the injuries, players are unavailable. Tonight, just one change for us. Varun Chakaravarthy is fit. He's come in in place of Navdeep Saini."
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Meanwhile, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, after losing the toss said:
"Yes, we would have bowled first as well. But as I said, you know, The wicket hasn't changed much throughout the course of the game. So not much of a difference. Definitely putting a big total on the scoreboard first innings will be challenging, but as I said, you know, it looks a really good surface. Yes, as I said, even in the post-match as well, I felt the bowling was really good defending 210, you know, against a strong DC side. Gave us a lot of confidence and you know, even the fielding unit was charged up. We saved a few runs and that is how I think collectively we did really well. Really exciting today as well. We got a job to do and everyone is feeling confident. And mentioning about combinations today, Ajinkya, I think even in your case, you seem to be getting the balance right now. Yes, I think we are slowly getting it right. You know, Brevis coming back and you know, J&P giving that crucial overs in the between as well. So I think we are slowly, slowly getting the right combination and it is just about delivering each and every game and staying consistent. And what is your combination for today's game? We are going with the same team. Have a good one. Good one. So that's the news on the.
CSK's playing XI:
Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan, Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjapneet Singh
CSK bench: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry
KKR's playing XI:
Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora
KKR bench: Manish Pandey, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Singh, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert