CSK Retained Players 2026 – Chennai Super Kings Full Squad List before IPL Auction

From MS Dhoni to Sanju Samson, discover the CSK Retained Players 2026, and IPL full Squad list for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Chennai aai aai, Chennai Express. Yes, that’s the song that plays through the mind when we hear the word Chennai. From the Whiste podu land, the Chennai Super Kings have kick-started the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, the IPL 2026, by officially announcing their retentions and releases ahead of the Auction. The CSK team has retained a solid core for IPL 2026, with a total of 16 names in it.

The CSK team made a big change before the Auction. While the team brought in Sanju Samson with a vision to think beyond MS Dhoni at some point in time, the team had to unfortunately trade Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to accommodate Sanju Samson. While getting in Sanju Samson is a solid move as it strengthens the batting department, losing two All-rounders has taken a dent in CSK’s batting depth and spin department.

Nevertheless, CSK have retained a solid core before the Auction, and even after retaining 16 players, they have roughly 43.4 Cr left as Auction purse. Among the core for CSK, we are looking at Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, and Ruturaj Gaikwad as pure top-order players. MS Dhoni as the specialist wicket-keeper finisher. Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis as pure finishers. Whereas in the bowling department, Chennai Super Kings are looking at Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis, and Khaleel Ahmed for now.

CSK Gaps Ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Now, aside from retaining this core of 10-12 players for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, CSK also have retained a few backup players in the form of Urvil Patel, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, and Mukesh Choudhary. But what gaps will the team have to solve in the upcoming Auction, given that they have a significant purse, and there are a few concern areas for them?

If we observe the retained squad closely, the main problem that CSK are facing currently is a lack of All-rounders and finishers. The team that usually relied on Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for finishing duties, are now devoid of both All-rounders. Considering Shivam Dube hardly bowls, the team only has Jamie Overton as the specialised All-rounder. Given the quality of Overton himself, CSK are in desperate need of finishers and  All-rounders in the side. 

Unfortunately, for CSK, Glenn Maxwell and Andre Russell have both retired. Both were in CSK’s plan as a potential replacement for Jadeja and Curran. But since these two have retired, CSK may look at the likes of Cameron Green, Liam Livignstone, Akeal Hossain, Rostan Chase, etc. Aside from these, among Indian players, Prashant Veer might be on CSK’s radar list. Since CSK have 40 Cr available with them, barring Green, they can get whichever player they want. 

CSK Retained Players 2026 – Chennai Super Kings Full IPL Squad List

Batters

1. Ayush Mhatre
2. Dewald Brevis (f)
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)

Wks

1. MS Dhoni
2. Sanju Samson
3. Urvil Patel

All-rounders

1. Jamie Overton (f)
2. Shivam Dube

Bowlers

1. Anshul Kamboj
2. Gurjapneet Singh
3. Khaleel Ahmed
4. Mukesh Choudhary
5. Nathan Ellis (f)
6. Noor Ahmad (f)
7. Ramkrishna Ghosh
8. Shreyas Gopal

Total Players Retained: 16 // Overseas Slots Available: 4 // Purse Available: 43.4 Cr

Having seen the detailed analysis of the retained players, let’s quickly look at the released players list for CSK for IPL 2026. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have shocked many by releasing a long list of players ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction. While veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has officially retired from the IPL, and was anyway not in CSK’s retention plans, the franchise has also parted ways with several big names, including Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, and Rahul Tripathi.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Official Released Players for IPL 2026

1. Matheesha Pathirana (o)
2. Devon Conway (o)
3. Rachin Ravindra (o)
4. Ravichandran Ashwin
5. Deepak Hooda
6. Rahul Tripathi
7. Vijay Shankar
8. Vansh Bedi
9. Andre Siddarth
10. Shaikh Rasheed

So, that’s about the complete retained players list for CSK for IPL 2026. 

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