Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went into the IPL 2026 season with a very strong purse, having Rs. 43.40 crores with them. After a disappointing performance in IPL 2025, where they finished with the tenth position in the points table, CSK decided to rebuild their squad. They have nine slots to fill, including four foreign slots. The five-time winners had an advantage over other teams by letting go of Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals in a trade before the auction took place, and their needs included finding a proper replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, as he is their prime all-rounder player. Moreover, a stable batter in the lower order to decrease the pressure on senior players MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube would be a major plus for them. On top of that, a fast bowler from outside the IPL could be a major advantage for CSK, with Matheesha Pathirana as a proper alternative. Squad of Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2026 No. Player Name Role Nation INR 1 Dewald Brevis Batter South Africa 2.20 Cr 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad Batter India 18.00 Cr 3 MS Dhoni Wicketkeeper India 4.00 Cr 4 Sanju Samson Wicketkeeper India 18.00 Cr (Traded) 5 Kartik Sharma Wicketkeeper-Batter India 14.20 Cr 6 Urvil Patel Wicketkeeper India 30.0 L 7 Shivam Dube All-Rounder India 12.00 Cr 8 Jamie Overton All-Rounder England 1.50 Cr 9 Ramakrishna Ghosh All-Rounder India 30.0 L 10 Prashant Veer All-Rounder India 14.20 Cr 11 Ayush Mhatre All-Rounder India 30.0 L 12 Shreyas Gopal Bowler India 30.0 L 13 Akeal Hosein Bowler West Indies 2.00 Cr 14 Noor Ahmad Bowler Afghanistan 10.00 Cr 15 Nathan Ellis Bowler Australia 2.00 Cr 16 Khaleel Ahmed Bowler India 4.80 Cr 17 Anshul Kamboj Bowler India 3.40 Cr 18 Mukesh Choudhary Bowler India 30.0 L 19 Gurjapneet Singh Bowler India 2.20 Cr 20 Matthew Short All-Rounder Australia 1.50 Cr 21 Sarfaraz Khan Batter India 75 Lac 22 Zakary Foulkes All-Rounder New Zealand 75 Lac 23 Aman Khan All-Rounder India 40 Lac 24 Matt Henry Bowler New Zealand 2 Cr 25 Rahul Chahar Bowler India 5.20 Cr Also Read | Lucknow Super Giants Team for IPL 2026: Full Squad and Predicted Playing XI Chennai Super Kings Playing XI Prediction - IPL 2026 Strongest XI of CSK for IPL 2026: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis*, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, MS Dhoni, Prashant Veer, Nathan Ellis*, Mukesh Choudhary, Noor Ahmad*, Khaleel Ahmed Impact Subs: Anshul Kamboj, Ayush Mhatre, Jamie Overton, Urvil Patel, Rahul Chahar [Overseas players (*)] This XI comprises experienced Indian players along with some talented, uncapped players such as Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer. Foreign slots have also been occupied by some match-winning players like Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, and Nathan Ellis. A New Look CSK for IPL 2026 After a dismal IPL 2025, CSK wanted to improve their middle and lower order batting. With addition of Sanju Samson at the top, the franchise has solidified their batting and with the inclusion of Kartik Sharma, who can finish the innings, they have also made sure to strengthen their lower order as well. The addition of Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry and Akeal Hosein has further added a balance to their side. Now, with a mix of young and experience players in their side, Chennai Super Kings looks more solid and ambitious to make a comeback in the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).