The five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings, stole the show in Abu Dhabi, but not with their usual veteran cherry-picking strategy. Instead, they shocked everyone by dropping a massive ₹28.40 crore on two teenage rookies, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma. Bought for ₹14.20 crore each, these unproven talents are being viewed by management as long-term investments to replace stars like Jadeja. However, fans are debating whether spending that much on potential over experience is a risky gamble.
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Away from the high-priced drama, CSK made some smart, practical signings to balance the team. They snapped up leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for ₹5.20 crore and grabbed overseas pros Akeal Hosein and Matt Henry at bargain prices. With solid backups like Sarfaraz Khan and Matthew Short joining the mix, the CSK is clearly trying to build a fresh, future-ready squad around captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
CSK Squad for IPL 2026
Retained & Traded In: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson (Traded from RR), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj.
Bought at Auction: Prashant Veer (₹14.20 crore), Kartik Sharma (₹14.20 crore,) Rahul Chahar (₹5.20 crore,) Akeal Hosein (₹2.00 crore) Matt Henry (₹2.00 crore) Matthew Short (₹1.50 crore) Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh) Zak Foulkes (₹75 lakh) Aman Khan (₹40 lakh)
CSK Purse Remaining: Rs. 2.40 crore CSK Player Slots Remaining: 0
