IPL 2026 CSK vs SRH Today Match Live: The playoff race heats up as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face off against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday, May 18, 2026, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. With a top-four finish still hanging in the balance, SRH will be looking to overcome their batting struggles against the five-time champions CSK, who are equally desperate to secure their spot.Placed third in the points table with 14 points in 12 matches, SRH (NRR 0.331) need to win both their remaining two group stage games to avoid late hiccups in the journey towards the knockouts.SRH may have a slight cushion in the playoff race. Even if the the Pat Cummins-led side drop one of their remaining two matches, they could still secure a berth in the playoffs. However, that scenario hinges on both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals stumbling in at least one of their final two games.Still, SRH’s shaky run leaves the 2016 champions needing to deliver a unified performance at the business end of the tournament. They have stumbled at a crucial stage, dropping two of their last three fixtures. In the previous match against Gujarat Titans, SRH looked in control having restricted them to 168 for five on a tricky wicket but fell apart for a mere 86 against high quality pace bowling.Before that, SRH had notched a 33‑run victory over Punjab Kings in a high‑scoring contest, extending their opponent’s losing streak. The win, however, came on the heels of a heavy setback, when Kolkata Knight Riders hammered them by seven wickets.As for CSK, the road ahead for the Ruturaj Gaikwad–led side is far from easy. While they still have a chance to finish with 16 points, that will require winning both of their remaining matches. The team in yellow had slipped to the sixth spot following their loss to Lucknow Super Giants in their last outing, and they currently have 12 points from as many matches.The Net Run Rate BattleOn net run rate, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) remain behind in the chase. Their tally of 0.027 trails Rajasthan Royals (0.082), who still have three matches left, while Punjab Kings, sitting on 13 points with a healthy NRR of 0.355, are also firmly in contention.Yet CSK can still fancy their chances, thanks to the grit their players and support staff have shown while navigating countless obstacles, including injuries to several key performers.The current bunch looks far different from the resources CSK had entered the IPL with, yet they continue to fight hard with a couple of new signings in the form of Macneil Noronha and Kuldip Yadav. But bowling will remain a concern, especially after the last game in which a century opening stand from LSG batters had defied the hosts.IPL 2026 CSK vs SRH Today Match LiveHOW TO WATCH Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad IN US AND CANADAMatch: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Date: May 18, MondayVenue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, ChennaiChannel: Willow TVStreaming: Willow TV App/Fubo/Sling TVStart Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in the US and CanadaHOW TO WATCH Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad IN UKMatch: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Date: May 18, MondayVenue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Channel/Streaming: Sky Sports and Sky Go appStart Time: 3:00 PM (British Summer Time - BST)CSK vs SRH: TeamsChennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni (wk), Kartik Sharma (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Aman Khan, Shivam Dube, Dian Forrester, Zak Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Macneil Noronha, Matthew Short, Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Matt Henry, Akeal Hosein, Spencer Johnson, Akash Madhwal, Mukesh Choudhary, Noor Ahmad, Kuldip Yadav.Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Salil Arora, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Ravichandran Smaran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, RS Ambrish, Harsh Dubey, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Shivang Kumar, Amit Kumar, Gerald Coetzee, Praful Hinge, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari.