CSK vs KKR Toss & Playing XI, IPL 2026: Kolkata Wins Toss and Opts to Bowl First in Match 22

Indian Premier League 2026 advances to its 22nd match where Chennai Super Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. As the league stage gets heated, the two sides are now in dire straits since they have been placed low in the standings and desperately seek victory. Chennai Super Kings are in better shape after breaking their losing streak, whereas Kolkata Knight Riders are yet to taste victory in the ongoing campaign.

Chennai Super Kings found their winning touch in their previous fixture against Delhi Capitals and a morale-boosting win. It was a game dominated by a brilliant unbeaten hundred from Sanju Samson, which was aided by a brisk 50 from young Ayush Mhatre. Jamie Overton bagged a four-wicket haul with the ball, showcasing that CSK are able to cope up with the pace and bounce at Chepauk. They will also be looking to have MS Dhoni back, who is recuperating from a calf strain and might return to the playing eleven.

Kolkata Knight Riders have faltered to an extent, with individual performances but not team ones, so far in the tournament. Despite some good innings from the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Finn Allen and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, KKR have failed to close out their matches. Their spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy will hold the key on this turning surface. Under the looming shadow of mounting pressure, KKR will have to produce a perfect all-round show to turn their fortunes around.

At the toss, Kolkata have won and chose to bowl first. Rahane confirms Varun comes in for Navdeep Saini, while Chennai remains unchanges which means fans will have to continue waiting to watch MS Dhoni play.

Here's what the captains said at the toss:

Ruturaj Gaikwad:

"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."

Ajinkya Rahane:

"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."

CSK vs KKR Playing XI

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed

CSK Impact subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

KKR Impact subs: Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Navdeep Saini