The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, IPL 2026 is just three days away and the fans must be curious about the CSK playing XI. Chennai Super Kings are set to kick off their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30. Ahead of their game, former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth has named his ideal line-up for the five-time champions.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, experts and former players have been assessing the squads. Kris Srikkanth, on his YouTube channel, gave a full breakdown of the squad. He also named his ideal CSK playing XI for the upcoming season.
“If I was the captain, I would go with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson at the top. Urvil Patel would also be in my playing XI because he has done really well recently,” said Srikkanth.
The big shock, however, was the exclusion of the big money signing Kartik Sharma, who was bought by the franchise for a huge price of INR 14.20 crore. He has been rated highly by the experts but Srikkanth chose Urvil Patel over him in the line-up.
“Urvil Patel has played very well recently. From the clips we have seen, his hitting ability looks very strong. He can be a key player in the top order and can help the team win matches,” he said.
Srikkanth did pick the other big signing Prashant Veer in the CSK playing XI. The all-rounder, who also fetched INR 14.20 crore, can bowl slow left-arm orthodox spin.
The legendary cricketer stated that CSK have a formidable batting unit but bowling is a big concern, especially in death overs. He picked Matt Henry and Khaleel Ahmed as the only specialist pace options, leaving out Anshul Kamboj.
“The batting looks strong till number six, but the main question is who will handle the death bowling. That is where the team still has a concern,” he added.
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Srikkanth’s concerns are valid as CSK have a depleted bowling unit after Nathan Ellis was ruled out with an injury. They have brought in Spencer Johnson as a replacement but there are question marks over his fitness, and when he would be available to play. Until then, they have to rely on Henry and Khaleel, and possibly Jamie Overton to get the job done.
Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (wk), Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed.
Impact Player: Rahul Chahar.
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