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

With Ruturaj Gaikwad set to lead the team, explore the dream squad and players list that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are likely to assemble for IPL 2026.

Chennai Super Kings is one team that seldom makes any changes in their Indian Premier League squad, unless there’s a Mega Auction place, where they are forced to retain not more than 6 players. But after a disastrous campaign in IPL 2025, and most of their experienced stars failing, it looks very much likely that they will look to release most of their players who are more of a liability to the team than an asset. 

The CSK team trusted the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Devon Conway, Ravichandran Ashwin, etc., but they failed miserably, and it is very much visible that these players aren’t going to add much value to the team anyway. Thankfully, CSK already understood the importance of having young and hungry players in the team, and they rectified some of their mistakes by adding the likes of Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, etc.

But the job is still half done for the CSK team, as they will have to now finalise the retentions and releases ahead of the Mini Auction, and then based on the purse will look to add a few solid players to the team. But which players are the Chennai Super Kings likely to target in the IPL 2026 Mini Auction, and by combining with the existing players, let’s find out the dream squad for CSK for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. 

CSK’s Core for IPL 2026

If we start with the core of the Chennai Super Kings team, and the players that are likely to play in the starting 11, we have Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, MS Dhoni, and Dewald Brevis among batters. Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, and Shivam Dube among All-rounders. Whereas bowling shall consist of Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, and Anshul Kamboj. So, overall, as we can see, CSK already have a solid 11 players constituting not only the core, but also playing 11. 

All these are solid players, and the only weak link in this lineup is Sam Curran and Anshul Kamboj. If any, CSK can try and experiment with changes around these two players, plus an additional 12th man. So, if CSK retain these 11 players along with the likes of Nathan Ellis, Rachin Ravindra, Urvil Patel, Vansh Bedi, Ramkrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddharth, and Shaik Rasheed, the team would then need 1-2 quality buys, and good backups in the side. 

So, overall, Chennai Super Kings should retain 18 players ahead of the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. This leaves room for 6 more players, and CSK should roughly have around 29 Cr in their Auction kitty. Now, if we look at the gaps CSK have, the team needs a good Indian spinner, an explosive Overseas opener as has been their DNA, a good Overseas finisher, and a few more decent backups. 

CSK Target Players 2026

Since CSK might have around 29 Cr with these retentions and releases, they can look to add a couple of quality Overseas players in the side.  A guy like Cameron Green would be a solid addition to the team. But if CSK go after Green, they might suffer on the other good players. Here’s where a guy like Ben Duckett would be a solid addition to the team. If Rachin’s or Sam’s form isn’t good, Duckett as an opener alongside Mhatre can be a solid option. 

For the finisher Overseas player, if Punjab Kings release Glenn Maxwell, CSK should definitely go after him. Maxwell may be an underachiever in the Indian Premier League, but if he gets a team like the Chennai Super Kings, he can give his best, and come out with flying colours. Moreover, CSK may not have spent more than 12-15 Cr to acquire these two players, and they will still have 15-17 Cr to buy other players. 

With such purse, CSK can look to buy Rahul Chahar and Mohammed Shami – both of whom are likely to be released by Sunrisers Hyderabad. While Shami, who has currently lost his mojo as a bowler post injury, can revive his career under CSK, Rahul Chahar, the leg spinner, who was devoid of opportunities in Sunrisers Hyderabad, may be a good addition to the CSK team. In addition to these, CSK can look to bring back N Jagadeesan and M Siddharth to the team.  

IPL 2026 Dream Squad Players List for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Batters

1. Andre Siddharth
2. Ayush Mhatre
3. Ben Duckett (o)
4. Dewald Brevis (o)
5. Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)
6. Shaik Rasheed

Wicket-keepers

1. MS Dhoni
2. N Jagadeesan
3. Urvil patel
4. Vansh Bedi

All-rounders

1. Glenn Maxwell (o)
2. Rachin Ravindra (o)
3. Ravindra Jadeja
4. Sam Curran (o)
5. Shivam Dube

Bowlers

1. Anshul Kamboj
2. Khaleel Ahmed
3. M Siddharth
4. Matheesha Pathirana (o)
5. Mohammed Shami
6. Nathan Ellis (o)
7. Noor Ahmad (o)
8. Ramkrishna Ghosh
9. Rahul Chahar

So, that’s the dream squad and players list for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Overall, CSK already laid the foundation for IPL 2026 in 2025 itself by acquiring some talented young players. Now, all they have to do is focus on rebalancing the squad by releasing the liability players, adding some solid Overseas players, and young guns in the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. 

Which players do you think CSK will retain for sure? Please share your thoughts on ipladdafounder@gmail.com.

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