Chennai Super Kings came into the IPL 2026 auction with clarity in some areas, but also left glaring questions unanswered, particularly around the No.6 finishing role and overseas all-rounder depth.
While CSK invested heavily in Indian wicketkeeper-batters like Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, the absence of a proven overseas finisher stands out as a risk. This is a squad that looks functional on paper, but slightly short on late-innings certainty, especially once pressure ramps up.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – IPL 2026 Squad Breakdown
| Batters | Pace All-rounders | Spin All-rounders | Pacers | Spinners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Jamie Overton ✈️ | Shreyas Gopal | Khaleel Ahmed | Noor Ahmad ✈️ |
| MS Dhoni (wk) | Ramakrishna Ghosh | Prashant Veer | Anshul Kamboj | Akeal Hosein ✈️ |
| Dewald Brevis ✈️ | Aman Khan | Matthew Short ✈️ | Mukesh Choudhary | Rahul Chahar |
| Urvil Patel (wk) | Zak Foulkes ✈️ | Gurjapneet Singh | ||
| Ayush Mhatre | Nathan Ellis ✈️ | |||
| Sanju Samson (wk) | Matt Henry ✈️ | |||
| Shivam Dube | ||||
| Kartik Sharma (wk) | ||||
| Sarfaraz Khan |
The No.6 Finisher Problem in CSK Squad
CSK’s biggest miss at the auction was not securing an overseas finisher.
Kartik Sharma, despite his price tag, is still inexperienced at IPL level, especially in high-pressure finishing roles. Prashant Veer falls into a similar category, promise over pedigree. Expecting either to consistently close out innings in the final five overs is a huge leap of faith.
With MS Dhoni ageing and unlikely to play extended finishing cameos through the season, the burden shifts to Shivam Dube, a player whose limitations against pace and short bowling are well-documented. On flat tracks or against quality death bowling, this middle-to-lower order can look fragile very quickly.
This was precisely the slot where CSK could have used an overseas enforcer.
Why CSK Didn’t Bid For Livingstone
Perhaps the most puzzling decision was CSK not even entering the bidding for Liam Livingstone.
Livingstone would have:
- Slotted perfectly into No.5 or No.6
- Covered Dube’s matchup weaknesses
- Offered part-time spin flexibility
- Reduced pressure on Dhoni and the Indian finishers
For a franchise that traditionally values role clarity, passing on a ready-made solution feels like a rare misread of squad needs. But it is likely that they do not see Livingstone as finisher material and hence did not bid for him.
Did CSK Pull Out Early From Cameron Green Bidding War?
CSK’s interest in Cameron Green was clear, but they exited the bidding war a little too early.
Even if Green was not the final target, CSK had the purse to push KKR harder, forcing them to spend deeper into their budget. Instead, the early pull-out allowed KKR to secure Green without maximal damage, a missed opportunity in auction dynamics, not just player acquisition. Notably, they never bought anyone to replace his role later in the auction.
Overseas All-Rounders: Tried, Failed, Moved On
To CSK’s credit, they did identify the right profile — overseas seam-bowling all-rounders — but failed to land one.
They were involved in bidding for:
- Jason Holder (₹6.8 crore)
- Ben Dwarshuis (₹3 crore)
- Jack Edwards (₹2.8 crore)
Missing out on all three means CSK lack:
- A pace-bowling all-rounder who can bat at 6 or 7
- A safety net if Indian finishers misfire
This leaves CSK heavily dependent on Indian combinations clicking simultaneously, something that rarely happens consistently across a long IPL season.
