IPL 2026 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Confirmed Squad Players List

With Ruturaj Gaikwad as Captain, explore the complete official updated squad and players list for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for IPL 2026. 

Going into the Auction with the second biggest purse, the Chennai Super Kings will be one happy bunch after the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. Not only did the team get the players they were interested in at the Auction, but the year 2026 also defines a big change in the thought process for the Men in Yellow as they switched from tried and tested experienced players to investing more in youth and emerging players.

CSK, as we know, have been one team that rarely compromised on experience. They always wanted match winners and experienced players who have done well at the international stage, or in the IPL. The thought process did win them many accolades, as they have 5 titles with this approach. But the downfall in 2024 and 2025 taught them that the modern T20 World has changed, and they needed to adapt quickly to be able to be the successful side they were before.

Chennai Super Kings realised this in mid-2025 itself when nothing was working for them. Hence, the team invested in the likes of Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, and Urvil Patel in 2025, and then spent huge on Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma in 2026. This change in mindset is what will define CSK going forward. It’s a classic case of being called from Daddy’s Army to Youth’s exuberance.

IPL 2026 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Official Squad List Explained

Alongside buying young players, CSK also did a major overhaul before the Auction. The team, in a surprising move, traded Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Sanju Samson, again aligning with their futuristic thinking. With MS Dhoni almost nearing his IPL retirement, Sanju Samson is likely to take that place. So, with the official squad in front of us, let’s look in detail at the squad Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

If we start with the batters that Chennai Super Kings have, we are looking at Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the batting department, with Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Matthew Short, and MS Dhoni among experienced batters in the team. Alongside experience, the CSK team invested in the future, with players like Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel, and Prashant Veer in focus.

Alongside a strong batting core, the bowling attack looks equally competent. While Nathan Ellis, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, and Jamie Overton shall lead the pace department, the backups like Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, and Ramkrishna Ghosh are solid bowlers too. Talking about the spin bowling, we have Noor Ahmad, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Rahul Chahar, and Shreyas Gopal taking care in the backups.

CSK Squad Strengths and Weakness IPL 2026

As we can see, whether it is the batting or bowling department, the CSK team has the right mix of youth and experience, with youth being a major focus for the team. This is a major shift in strategy for the CSK team, and since the last couple of years haven’t been good, they have learnt this lesson rather quickly. With such a strong squad, and the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad and MS Dhoni in place, CSK can go places if they put their act together. It’s pretty clear for CSK that individuals won’t bring them glory, and they need a solid, motivated team effort to excel in IPL 2026.

So, keeping the strengths for the Chennai Super Kings, there are some visible weaknesses in the side too. With so much focus on youth, and hiring two uncapped players for more than 28 Cr, the lower order is an area where CSK might face some trouble. The CSK team brought in Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer as potential replacements for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, and this inexperience may invite some trouble if things go wrong. Also, there could be a visible depth in bowling with CSK, depending on Shivam Dube, Akeal Hosein or Matthew Short, and Prashant Veer for roughly 8 overs

IPL 2026 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Full Squad and Complete Players List After Auction

Batters

• Ayush Mhatre
• Dewald Brevis (FO)
• Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
• Sarfaraz Khan

Wicket-keepers

• Kartik Sharma
• MS Dhoni
• Sanju Samson
• Urvil Patel

All-rounders

• Aman Khan
• Jamie Overton (FO)
• Matthew Short (FO)
• Prashant Veer
• Shivam Dube
• Zak Foulkes (FO)

Bowlers

• Akeal Hosein (FO)
• Anshul Kamboj
• Gurjapneet Singh
• Khaleel Ahmed
• Matt Henry (FO)
• Mukesh Choudhary
• Nathan Ellis (FO)
• Noor Ahmad (FO)
• Rahul Chahar
• Ramkrishna Ghosh
• Shreyas Gopal

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