Gujarat Titans are preparing to host Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in a high-pressure game on Thursday. As the IPL 2026 league stage nears its conclusion, the playoff equation has narrowed to one final unresolved question. Three teams have already secured their berths in the playoffs, while one spot still remains to be occupied. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already confirmed their places in the playoffs after remaining dominant in the competition.
Now, the fight among these three franchises has turned into a race for the top two positions. For Chennai Super Kings, however, the situation is incredibly delicate because SRH’s victory over Chennai in the previous fixture not only strengthened Hyderabad’s campaign but also sealed qualification for both SRH and Gujarat.
But at the same time, it pushed CSK close to the edge of elimination. Two successive defeats have placed CSK in sixth place. Now, Chennai must win because a defeat here will end their campaign. Even victory, though, offers no guarantees. Even if they win against SRH, they will still be dependent on other results to go their way. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans, despite securing a playoff spot, will aim to finish in the top two.
Head-to-head
Matches - 9
GT won - 5
CSK won - 4
GT Probable XII: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj
CSK Probable XII: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary