It was a season to forget for the 5-times champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2025 season as they finished bottom of the points table. The expectations are high for next season and it all begins at the IPL 2026 auction. Below, we have listed CSK Target Players List 2026 IPL season.
5-times IPL champions Chennai Super Kings had a season to forget in the IPL 2025. The Ruturaj Gaikwad led side finished at 10th place in the points table with just 4 wins in the entire tournament.
The side was marred with inconsistent batting performance while with the ball, they were not clinical enough and with not a lot of runs on the board, the bowlers didn’t have much to defend. Noor Ahmad in particular was outstanding for CSK in the IPL 2025 campaign.
For a highly successful team like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) there is always high expectations from the fans. And it is now a necessity to deliver a commanding performance in the IPL 2026. And the work begins at the IPL 2026 auction itself. We have listed a few CSK Target Players List 2026 IPL season.
Table of Contents
CSK Retained Players List IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, M.S. Dhoni, Sanju Samson (trade in from Rajasthan Royals), Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis.
Chennai Super Kings Released Players List 2026 IPL
Ravindra Jadeja (trade out to Rajasthan Royals), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Sam Curran (trade out to Rajasthan Royals), Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shaikh Rasheed, Matheesha Pathirana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth.
CSK Squad Analysis
Strength
- Chennai Super Kings’ batting looks sorted with the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube etc.
- Pace bowling department is fairly good for CSK with Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton as overseas pace bowlers and Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh as Indian pacers.
Areas to Improve
- Noor Ahmad and Shreyas Gopal are two really solid spin bowling options. But with Ravindra Jadeja traded to the Rajasthan Royals, CSK will now need another spin bowler, preferably a left-arm orthodox bowler.
- CSK have a number of Indian batters, they will need to find a few overseas batters who can open the innings and someone who can play in the middle-order.
- The Super Kings will also be looking for big hitting all-rounders in their CSK Target Players List 2026 IPL season. Jamie Overton is set to be released while Sam Curran is moving to Rajasthan in a trade deal.
CSK Target Players 2026
| PLAYER | ROLE |
| Finn Allen | Batter |
| Jamie Smith | Wicketkeeper Batter |
| Cameron Green | All-rounder |
| Andre Russell | All-rounder |
| Dian Forrester | All-rounder |
| Will O’Rourke | Pacer |
| Abhinav Manohar | All-rounder |
| Kumar Kartikeya | All-rounder |
| Ravi Bishnoi | Spin Bowler |
Chennai Super Kings Overseas Target Players
Finn Allen
New Zealand’s batter Finn Allen can be a great pick for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to fill that overseas opening spot. Allen is a destructive opening batter who looks to make the most of the powerplay overs. He was in tremendous form the Major League Cricket (MLC) where he scored 333 runs in 9 matches and had a strike rate of 225.00.
Jamie Smith
England batsman Jamie Smith could be another solid pick in the middle-order for the Chennai Super Kings. Smith is a fairly good and talented player playing regularly for England in all formats. Smith is a very good option for CSK Target Players List 2026 IPL season for the position between 4 and 6. He is predicted to have a long future ahead of him.
Cameron Green
Cameron Green has also been linked with the Chennai Super Kings, who though are unlikely to have the purse to pursue the Australian all-rounder. Green can play anywhere in the batting line-up including the finishers. CSK have long been craving for a finisher and Green could be the perfect pick defending available purse.
Andre Russell
The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) one of the greatest all-rounder Andre Russell is going to be one of the big names whom CSK will definitely chase in the IPL 2026 auction. Russell was with the Kolkata Knight Riders for more than a decade, establishing himself as a KKR legend and won the MVP award a total 3 times. With the massive purse they have, CSK definitely have the advantage in getting the Caribbean beast.
Dian Forrester
Dian Forrester might not be a name familiar for CSK fans but the Super Kings family are well aware of him. Forrester is part of CSK’s sister team Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 League. The left-hand batter is a heavy hitter and exciting right-arm fast bowler, making him a really good option at around 7-8 position.
Will O’Rourke
It seems that CSK will retain both Nathan Ellis and Matheesha Pathirana, still if CSK need an overseas pace bowler, New Zealand Will O’Rourke could be an option they try to bring. O’Rourke is a tall pace bowler who manages to extract extra bounce from the surface and is a clever bowler with his change of pace. As a temporary replacement for Lucknow Super Giants, he picked 6 wickets in 3 matches.
CSK Target Players Indian
Abhinav Manohar
All-rounder Abhinav Manohar would be a great addition to the CSK’s lower-order or as a backup for Shivam Dube. Manohar is a power hitter who can smash the ball out of the park with ease. He is also a handy medium-pace bowler.
Kumar Kartikeya
27-year-old left-arm orthodox spin bowler Kumar Kartikeya can be in CSK’s consideration as a replacement for outgoing Ravindra Jadeja. Kartikeya is a very good spin bowler who has excelled in all formats of the game. Although his game with the bat is not as good as Jadeja, but he is a wicket-taker with the ball, but has been craving for opportunity in the IPL.
Ravi Bishnoi
India international google spin bowler Ravi Bishnoi is going to be one of the top name in the CSK Target Players List 2026 IPL season. Bishnoi has been released by Lucknow Super Giants despite being one of their best spin bowler. Ravi would be an excellent addition to CSK and would definitely dominate batters at the spin-friendly M.A Chidambaram stadium.
CSK Probable XI after IPL 2026 Auction
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Andre Russell, Ravi Bishnoi, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed.
Impact Players: Urvil Patel/ Anshul Kamboj
NOTE: This is only our prediction and the actual CSK Target Players List 2026 IPL might be different.
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