Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings

Punjab Kings face Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026 Match 6 at IS Bindra Stadium (26,000 capacity) in Mohali, on Tuesday 31 March 2026, starting at 19:30 IST (UTC+5:30). Punjab Kings are yet to win the IPL title. Chennai Super Kings are five-time champions (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023). Shreyas Iyer captains Punjab; Ruturaj Gaikwad leads Chennai.

The IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali is the smallest of IPL’s established venues and the one that generates the most disproportionate atmosphere for its size. Twenty-six thousand seats might sound modest against grounds that hold twice as many, but the way those seats wrap around the playing surface at close proximity concentrates the noise into something physical. Chandigarh’s cricket crowd is among the most knowledgeable in India. They remember the 2011 World Cup semi-final at this ground, when Sachin Tendulkar walked out to bat against Pakistan and the city stood still. They are not here simply to cheer. They are here to judge.

Home ground matters here more than the numbers suggest. Punjab play at Mohali because this is where they belong geographically and historically, and the north Indian crowd brings a partisan energy that visiting teams have historically found difficult to navigate. CSK have crossed India for fifteen IPL seasons and won in every major stadium in the country, but Mohali under lights, with a partisan Punjab crowd in full voice, is a specific kind of hostile.

The pitch at IS Bindra rewards pace bowling early. The ball carries through to the wicketkeeper with the kind of carry that makes the cordon relevant throughout the innings, unlike the flat decks that dominate the IPL in March. CSK’s bowling unit, historically built around Deepak Chahar’s new-ball swing and the slow turn of their spinners, needs to exploit this surface intelligently in the first six overs. Punjab’s counter is Shreyas Iyer’s own batting: he is one of the most composed players in world cricket against genuine pace, and on a Mohali pitch with the ball moving off the seam, his ability to build an innings gives Punjab a foundation their more expansive batters can attack from.

Chennai’s five titles were built on different things in different eras. The 2010 and 2011 wins came from Dhoni’s calm authority and Murali Vijay’s batting. The 2021 return from a two-year ban came from Gaikwad’s 635-run season, then the best by an IPL batsman in any campaign. In 2026, Gaikwad’s CSK are trying to do something no franchise has done since MI in 2019 and 2020: win back-to-back titles.

When is Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings? The match starts at 19:30 IST (UTC+5:30) on 31 March 2026. UK fans in London watch at 14:00 BST. Fans in Sydney tune in at 00:00 AEDT on 1 April. Viewers in New York catch it at 10:00 EDT. For live conversions, check India time and Chandigarh time.

The last time Punjab beat CSK in Mohali, it was 2019 and KL Rahul top-scored with 71. Rahul has since moved to LSG. Punjab’s home ground record against Chennai needs a new author, and Iyer is being asked to write that chapter from match one.