Not so long ago, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai was a graveyard for visiting teams. The crowds, the pitch, and the Dhoni factor together made Chepauk feel like a test of character before a ball was bowled. In IPL 2026, that reputation is quietly being rewritten, and Punjab Kings are the ones doing the rewriting.
April 3. Chennai Super Kings host Punjab in Match 7 of the season. Having lost their opening fixture against Rajasthan Royals, CSK badly needs a win in front of their home crowd. Ayush Mhatre delivers for them upfront, compiling a superb 73 off 43 balls, the third-highest score in IPL history by a batter under 19 years old. He shares a 96-run stand with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, and when both fall, a late surge from Sarfaraz Khan (32 off a blistering 12 balls) and an unbeaten 45 from Shivam Dube push CSK to 209 for 5. Punjab, though, are the kings of 200-plus chases in the IPL.
They’ve done it eight times before, and this is their ninth.
Priyansh Arya does not ease into this chase. He attacks it like it has personally wronged him. Racing to 33 off nine balls in the powerplay, he sends Punjab flying to 55 for no loss in four overs. His eventual 39 off 11 deliveries, including four sixes and three fours, is Player of the Match material even though he doesn’t finish the job. That instead falls to Prabhsimran Singh, who steadies with 43 off 34, and then to Cooper Connolly, the Australian newcomer who plays with composure beyond his years.
When both fall, some nerves set in. CSK gets two quick wickets in the 17th over to reduce Punjab to 186 for 5, needing 24 off 17. But that is when Shreyas Iyer, captain and chess player, simply refuses to panic. He goes from 4 off 5 balls to a 26-ball fifty, controlling the middle overs with a cool efficiency that makes the asking rate look irrelevant. Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh finish it off with five wickets and almost three overs remaining.
CSK are now winless through their first two games. Punjab Kings have won four consecutive matches at Chepauk: 2023, 2024, 2025, and now 2026. At some point, the fortress theory needs to be reconsidered. The bowlers remain CSK’s glaring problem, but the bigger worry is the slide in belief. Chepauk hasn’t been cruel to them; opponents have simply been better prepared and better led. Dhoni’s return from a calf injury can’t come soon enough.
