Chennai Super Kings (CSK) added new strength to their team at the IPL 2026 auction. They signed Akeal Hosein for ₹2 crore and made big news by buying uncapped players Prashanth Veer and Kartik Sharma for ₹14.20 crore each. CSK also picked Matthew Short for ₹1.5 crore, Aman Khan for ₹40 lakh, Sarfaraz Khan and Zak Foulkes for ₹75 lakh each, and Matt Henry for ₹2 crore. Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar joined the squad for ₹5.20 crore giving more depth to their bowling.
CSK entered the IPL 2026 mini-auction with ₹43.4 crore in hand and nine empty spots to fill. The team had a poor IPL 2025 season and finished last on the points table for the first time ever. Injuries hurt them badly with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad missing games due to a hand injury. Senior players like Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda also could not perform well, which affected the team’s balance.
After releasing several players, CSK will look to return stronger in IPL 2026. The team still has a solid core includes Dewald Brevis, Sanju Samson (who joined from Rajasthan Royals), Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Mukesh Choudhary and MS Dhoni. With this mix of youth and experience, CSK will aim to regain form and chase their sixth IPL title.
Can New Signings Help CSK Bounce Back in IPL 2026?
CSK is one of the most successful teams in IPL history. In their first ten seasons, they reached the knockouts or playoffs every time and won three titles. This strong run ended in 2020. Even though they won two more titles later, the last few seasons have not been as smooth as they failed to reach the top four in four of the last six editions.
From 2008 to 2013, CSK were one of the strongest teams in the league. Led by MS Dhoni, they reached the final in the very first season and stayed consistent in the years that followed. Their hard work paid off when they won the IPL in 2010 and defended the title in 2011. A strong Indian core with players like Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin and later Ravindra Jadeja played a big role in their success.
Between 2014 and 2025, CSK continued to fight hard in every season. They won their third title in 2018 against all odds and narrowly missed defending it in 2019 by just one run. After a tough 2020 season, they bounced back to win the title in 2021. However, the last two seasons were difficult with CSK missing the playoffs in 2024 and struggling for form in 2025. Now, they hope the new auction signings will help them turn things around.
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CSK Retained / Traded Players (IPL 2026)
| No. | Player | Role | Status | Price (₹ cr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruturaj Gaikwad | Batter | Retained | 18.0 |
| 2 | MS Dhoni | WK–Batter | Retained | 4.0 |
| 3 | Sanju Samson | WK–Batter | Traded | 18.0 |
| 4 | Shivam Dube | All‑rounder | Retained | 12.0 |
| 5 | Dewald Brevis | Batter (overseas) | Retained | 2.2 |
| 6 | Ayush Mhatre | Batter | Retained | 0.30 |
| 7 | Urvil Patel | WK–Batter | Retained | 0.30 |
| 8 | Jamie Overton | All‑rounder (o/s) | Retained | 1.5 |
| 9 | Ramakrishna Ghosh | All‑rounder | Retained | 0.30 |
| 10 | Noor Ahmad | Spinner (o/s) | Retained | 10.0 |
| 11 | Khaleel Ahmed | Fast bowler | Retained | 4.8 |
| 12 | Anshul Kamboj | All‑rounder | Retained | 3.4 |
| 13 | Gurjapneet Singh | Fast bowler | Retained | 0.30 |
| 14 | Nathan Ellis | Fast bowler (o/s) | Retained | 2.0 |
| 15 | Shreyas Gopal | Spinner | Retained | 0.30 |
| 16 | Mukesh Choudhary | Fast bowler | Retained | 0.30 |
CSK Auction Buys (IPL 2026 Mini Auction)
| No. | Player | Role | Status | Price (₹ cr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prashant Veer | All‑rounder | Bought | 14.20 |
| 2 | Kartik Sharma | All‑rounder | Bought | 14.20 |
| 3 | Akeal Hosein | Spin all‑rounder | Bought | 2.0 |
| 4 | Rahul Chahar | Leg‑spinner | Bought | 5.2 |
| 5 | Matt Henry | Fast bowler | Bought | 2.0 |
| 6 | Matthew Short | Batting all‑rounder | Bought | 1.5 |
| 7 | Sarfaraz Khan | Batter | Bought | 0.75 |
| 8 | Zak Foulkes | Pace all‑rounder | Bought | 0.75 |
| 9 | Aman Khan | All‑rounder | Bought | 0.40 |
Chennai Super Kings Squad for IPL 2026
M.S. Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Rahul Chahar, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Jamie Overton, Matthew Short, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Shreyas Gopal, Sarfaraz Khan, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Zak Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh.
Chennai Super Kings Possible Playing XI
Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Dewald Brevis, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (wk), Prashant Veer, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad.
Impact Player: Anshul Kamboj
Final Squad Size, Slots & Purse
- Total squad size: 25 players (16 retained/traded + 9 bought).
- Overseas players: 8 (Brevis, Overton, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Matthew Short, Zak Foulkes).
- Slots strength: All 25 slots filled (0 slots remaining).
- Remaining purse: 2.40Cr
Code: TOPBK
