In a city where cinema, politics and cricket are the holy trinity, the lines got blurred in the most comedic way on Sunday morning. Hours before Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a high-stakes, must-win clash at Chepauk, social media erupted over a viral picture from the swearing in ceremony of new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay.
The source of the madness? A security official standing prominently on the dais whose striking resemblance to CSK fast bowler Anshul Kamboj sent fans into a frenzy. As the image of ‘Police Kamboj’ started emerging, veteran Ravichandran Ashwin would never miss a joke with his teammate with his signature wit. CSK vs LSG: Update | Scorecard
“Duty always comes first but on a must win match day #CSKVLSG it’s a bit much,” Ashwin wrote on X.
“It’s a day game, take a cab and get to Chepauk ASAP Anshul Kamboj. Big game.”
Chennai Super Kings also joined in on the fun and cheekily confirmed that Anshul Kamboj was indeed with the team and preparing for the big game.
“Don’t worry, Anshul Kamboj is here,” the Super Kings tweeted with a video of him bowling. Screengrab by X
THE MAN OF THE HOUR
While the man on stage was undoubtedly a dedicated member of the security forces, the confusion speaks to Kamboja’s skyrocketing profile in Chennai. Ever since he was roped in for Rs 3.40 crore, the Haryana paceman has become a vital cog in the Super Kings machinery.
In IPL 2026, Kamboj emerged as a breakthrough domestic fast bowler, spearheading an attack often depleted by international departures and injuries.
Going into Sunday’s match, Kamboj had already scalped 17 wickets in 10 matches, including a match-winning 3/22 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. His ability to extract extra bounce even from his relatively short frame and move the ball both ways made him Ruturaj Gaikwad’s choice in the power play.
The timing of the viral photo added to the drama. CSK are currently in a precarious position in the points table, so the 3.30pm match is a crucial clash as they remain in contention for the playoffs.
CSk won the lottery on Sunday and decided to bowl. It rained briefly before the toss and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad confirmed that it affected his call to bowl first.
CSK’s bowling attack was indeed led by Kamboj, while Lucknow made two changes to their playing XI, bringing back fit Josh Inglis and fast bowler Avesh Khan.
TEAM NEWS, ČSK vs LSG
Chennai Super Kings – Sanju Samson (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary.
Impact Players for CSK – Gurjapneet Singh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Madhwal.
Lucknow Super Giants – Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahamed, Mohammad Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh.
Impact Players for LSG – Avesh Khan, Mukul Choudhary, Abdul Samad, Manimaran Siddharth, Mayank Yadav.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
10 May 2026 15:21 IST
