Ravichandran Ashwin, the former player of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has already articulated his choice of CSK’s playing eleven for IPL 2026. The team in Yellow made a total of nine acquisitions through the auction held on December 16, for a whopping price of INR 41 crore, which also included uncapped players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, each costing INR 14.2 crore thus setting the new record.
Ashwin’s Playing XI consists of two openers: Ayush Mhatre and Sanju Samson, our captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube at No. 3 and No. 4 position respectively. The left-handed batsman from South Africa, Dewald Brevis is covering No. 5 in the batting order. The uncapped player Prashant Veer is taking the wicket-keeping position behind the infamous MS Dhoni; while Akeal Hosein and Matt Henry are handing over the No. 8 position to each other. The fast bowling unit consists of Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis, while Noor Ahmad’s leg spin is the icing on the cake for the attack.
R Ashwin’s predicted XI for CSK: Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Prashant Veer, MS Dhoni, Akeal Hosein/Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad.
Impact Players: Anshul Kamboj, Kartik Sharma, Shreyas Gopal, Sarfaraz Khan (Ashwin picked them according to team combinations and match scenarios.)
With a hefty chunk of the auction budget, lifters, and duo Kayat – Prashant, prashant-kartik putting up their case for recognition, the franchise, which has won the IPL five times, had a dismal 2025 season, winning only four matches out of 14 and finishing last with a net run rate of -0.647.
Final CSK Squad for IPL 2026:
MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes
Ashwin’s predicted XI showcases a combination of seasoned players like Dhoni, Gaikwad, and Samson, plus the addition of some uncapped players with high potential, which indicates that CSK aims at a strong comeback in the season of IPL 2026.
