Chennai Super Kings will look to revive themselves from the 2025 horror, where they finished at the bottom in the 10-team event. The Super Kings had one of the most terrible IPL seasons as they won just four games in their 14 outings.
However, things might change this time around as CSK have invested big in young talents and have roped in Sanju Samson. From struggling to be part of India's Playing XI, Samson was named the Player of the Tournament for his heroic knocks at the latter stages of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Strong batting, bowling under scrutiny
With Samson coming in and being in such good form, CSK's top-order struggles might have been sorted. Last season, they failed to fire big time at the top of the order, which left their middle and lower order doing unexpected tasks.
Ayush Mhatre impressed in his outings as an opener last year, and Dewald Brevis is a renowned ball smasher. Then they have Shivam Dube and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, apart from the finishing touches that MS Dhoni can offer.
However, CSK's bowling resources look thin, and they have to ponder a lot on their death bowling stuff. They have Khaleel Ahmed, Matt Henry and Akeal Hosein, all of whom bowl at the start, but they lack death options. Noor Ahmad can be used in the death.
CSK's new stocks
CSK have banked on youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma as they roped them in for Rs 14.2 crore each. The two have shown promise in their short domestic careers, but they will now be up against some giants. Kartik is a wicketkeeper batter and a serial six-hitter who can provide the Super Kings with the much-needed impetus. Prashant is a left-arm spinner and a handy batter, who can tonk the ball long with the bat. He offers just what Ravindra Jadeja used to do.
CSK's best Probable Playing XI for IPL 2026:
Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, MS Dhoni (wk), Jamie Overton/Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry/Akeal Hosein, 12 Khaleel Ahmed
