IPL 2026: Who Will Be CSK’s Crisis Man

The IPL is about to enter its 19^th season on the trot and the excitement of the fans is rising by each passing day. The ten teams are ready to fight fire with fire and the rivalry is getting tougher day by day. On that notice, we analyze the team in yellow i.e. Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

In this article we will dive deep into the squad and the team’s chances for another title this season. CSK and MI are the most successful teams although the team was suspended for two years it roared back to form winning the IPL trophy in 2018 and again in 2021. Over the course of time, CSK has transformed from being called a dad’s army to a team full of youngsters.

The captaincy baton has long been passed from MS Dhoni to Ruturaj Gaikwad but since Ruturaj’s appointment as a leader, the team seems to have lost the aura yet this season, there seems to be a different energy, and the team feels like it has found its missing puzzle. This year there will high hopes from the boys in Yellow and as it could be MS Dhoni’s last season, CSK might as well look to give the captain cool a fitting farewell. On this note, let us start from the squad analysis of CSK and dive deeper into the strengths and weaknesses of the team.

Journey through the Years

CSK is the IPL giant but in the last few seasons it has struggled badly to achieve consistency because it was eliminated in the last season in fact it performed so badly that it did not even move from tenth spot. The 2024 season was forgetful as well and so was the 2022 season. The last three seasons has gone exactly the opposite for the yellow army and this time the fans and the players will be eager to turn things around.

Over the years the team has also seen a lot of chopping and changing, since Dhoni quit leadership Ruturaj’s captaincy has been relatively unsuccessful and with the bat, he has looked scratchy for the last two seasons. Since winning the orange cap in 2021, Ruturaj has consistently been out of runs and last year he was at his lowest scoring just 122 runs with two fifties in 5 innings.

A dull season last year might have made Ruturaj hungry and more determined to perform this year. He is in supreme form with a century against South Africa in the recent ODI series and will look to replicate similar performance this IPL. CSK will also be eager to watch the captain score at his best. Undoubtedly, there are hopes pinned on the captain but the cricket is a game of 11 players and is not won by a single player.

Strength

CSK has a strong squad and the likes of Dhoni, Shivam Dube, Gaikwad can make it tough for the opponents but apart from just batting CSK has a strong core of wrist spinners. The inclusion of Noor Ahmed, Rahul Chahar, and Shreyas Gopal will be the key for them against the teams. Another player to watch out for is Prashant Veer from UP.

Prashant Veer is an all-rounder and a slow spinner who can be the trump card for them especially on slow turners like Chennai. Apart from bowling Veer is also a handy left-handed batter who has the ability to strike the ball far. The likes of Noor Ahmad, Rahul Chahar, Shreyas Gopal along with Prashant may come in as handy players for the skipper although it is how cleverly can Ruturaj use them.

Shivam Dube has the ability to slog and is a useful finisher after Dhoni. His recent form will come in handy for the yellow army. Dube scored 235 runs in the t20 world cup striking the ball at 170 and this will give him immense confidence to show his power at the death. Dube like Dhoni has the ability to change the perception of the game particularly at the death.

CSK has a lot of range hitters from Dube to Dhoni who can pressurize the bowlers therefore, it has the ability to put at least 200 to 220 on the board provided the top order and the lower middle order fires simultaneously. Dewald Brevis is another key man to look at as he is quite low on confidence after the t20 world cup. There were high hopes on him to show some sensibility in the world cup and he could not convert the starts into big scores. Known as Baby AB of South Africa this might be his opportunity to shine.

Concerns

In spite of having the experience and class of MS Dhoni and the power of Dube, along with it the form of Sanju Samson, CSK lacks in a few areas. Firstly, the exit of star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has dug a larger hole. It is a huge gap to fill as Jadeja, for years was CSK’s trump card. He had the ability to win games single-handedly and the game against RCB in 2021 is the apt example where Jadeja proved his all-round skills.

Ravindra Jadeja would surely be missed as the team also lacks a major role in the middle order which is of the anchor. For years CSK had Raina and Rayudu who could play at least 15 overs and steady the ship at times even Jadeja did that job however, this time CSK is in dire need of an anchor player, one who could control the innings when the team is 30 runs having lost four wickets.

It is a real headache for the coach Stephen Fleming, yes Sanju Samson is in the squad, but a lot will depend on his batting order. Will he open with Gaikwad, or will he bat at number four? Even if he bats at number four can he play the role of an anchor and rescue the team when under pressure.

Sanju Samson batted at number three for Rajasthan and has scored good number of runs but can he replicate the same with CSK? Another option is Sarfaraz Khan who has had a stellar Mushtaq Ali tournament and Ranji Trophy. Sarfaraz Khan batted at number three in the SMAT game against Haryana and scored a whirlwind 64 from 25 balls but can he replicate his performance in the IPL? This is a big question that CSK has to solve.

 Squad for CSK IPL 2026

Probable CSK 11

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhoni, Shivam Due, Samson, Mukesh Choudhary, Noor Ahmed, Akeal Hossain, Matthew Short, Jamie Overton, Ayush Mhatre, Rahul Chahar

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