He played just one game in IPL 2025.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star pacer Nathan Ellis doesn’t always look like a superstar, but sometimes he delivers a performance that grabs eyeballs. In Colombo, on Wednesday, Ellis produced an inspiring performance in a 3.5-over spell, registering four for 12 at an economy of 3.10. He dismantled Ireland’s batting lineup at the top and set the tone for Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
Chasing a challenging 183-run total, Ireland’s reply became almost impossible after they lost captain Paul Stirling early due to an injury. Alongside Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Ellis tore through Ireland’s top order, leaving them at 27 for 4 and effectively ending the chase before it truly began.
Lorcan Tucker (24) and George Dockrell (41) managed to resist for a while, but Adam Zampa controlled the middle overs and ensured Ireland couldn’t mount a real comeback. They were all out for 115, giving Australia a 67-run victory, their largest against Ireland in T20 World Cups. Notably, four wickets each for Ellis and Zampa marked the first time Australia had two bowlers take four wickets in a T20 World Cup innings.
The spell of Nathan Ellis stood out not just for the statistics but for the skills which could help him have a breakout IPL season. With little swing available, he focused on what he does best: hitting hard lengths, change of pace and exceptional use of variations. It set the foundation for what it turned out to be, Australia’s second-biggest win in T20 World Cups.
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Despite being part of the IPL for the last five editions, Nathan Ellis has not had many opportunities to showcase his prowess. Despite Matheesha Pathirana enduring his worst IPL season ever, CSK did not try Ellis in any game after the campaign opener.
But things have changed significantly since then. CSK have released Pathirana and are likely to play Nathan Ellis in all games, given him leading Australia’s pace attack since the T20 World Cup 2024 and produced strong performances across the globe in different franchise leagues.
On slower Indian pitches, especially in places like Chennai, Lucknow, or Jaipur, this ability is invaluable. His knack for quickly reading conditions and adjusting as needed is exactly what teams want during high-pressure moments. He also boasts strong leadership skills, having led Hobart Hurricanes to their maiden Big Bash League (BBL) title in 2024-25 and to the BBL finals in 2025-26. This experience will help me spearhead CSK’s pace attack that features several youngsters.
In 33 T20Is, the right-arm pacer has taken 54 wickets in 33 games with an average of 16.62 and an economy rate of 7.70. This shows his ability to take wickets and control the game at every stage.
Overall, the 31-year-old has taken 230 wickets in T20 cricket with an economy of just over eight, which strengthens his case. Additionally, his performances on spin-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka will encourage CSK to offer him a chance.
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