Australian pacer Spencer Johnson has given a major hint on joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season as Nathan Ellis replacement. Notably, Ellis had suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out of IPL 2026, as confirmed by CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan a few days back.
While Kasi had also revealed they were on the lookout for replacements, Spencer Johnson’s latest Instagram story almost confirms him as the new signing. Johnson posted an image where he is seen enjoying family time, with people gathered around a table over food and the popular Coldplay song ‘Yellow’ playing in the background. Not just that, he also commented with the CSK emojis, which basically cleared any air of ambiguity.
However, an official confirmation on the same is yet to come from the five-time IPL champions.
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While the Aussie is being touted to come in for his fellow countryman as Nathan Ellis replacement, Spencer himself is currently rehabbing from injury which raises a question over his exact availability. For the unversed, Spencer is recovering from a stress fracture in his back, that ruled him out of the Big Bash League (BBL 2025-26) season and put him out of reckoning for a spot in the recent T20 World Cup 2026.
Given his current status, it is understood that Spencer will require another 2-3 weeks for his rehabilitation which essentially rules him out of the first phase of the tournament. Spencer is also yet to receive his clearance from Cricket Australia (CA).
Interestingly, Spencer had recently pulled out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2026), after initially being roped in by the Quetta Gladiators as a direct signing. However, he cited personal reasons behind his decision which forced the Quetta franchise to bring in West Indies speedster Alzarri Joseph.
In a brief IPL career so far, the left-arm pacer has plied his trade with two teams – Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After spending the 2024 season with GT, he joined KKR last season but was released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
The 30-year-old failed to impress with the ball, managing just a solitary wicket in four matches while going at an economy rate almost touching 12. Overall in IPL, he has played nine games and picked up five scalps.
Nevertheless, he is a talented bowler who can operate with both the new ball and at death and will hope he can find his form when he dons the CSK colours next.
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