Five CSK players to watch out for in IPL 2026: Samson and Gaikwad lead a rebuilt side

Chennai Super Kings open their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 in Guwahati, ten months after finishing bottom of the table in 2025. The five-time champions have undergone a significant squad overhaul ahead of the new season, and five players in particular carry the weight of their revival.

Also Read: The 10 costliest players of IPL 2026: Who got the biggest bids?Sanju Samson

CSK acquired Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals through a trade, with the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter moving to the franchise at his existing league fee of INR 18 crore. In exchange, CSK sent Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals. Across 177 IPL matches, Samson has accumulated 4,704 runs at a career strike rate of 139.05.


He arrives at CSK in exceptional form: in the semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on March 5, 2026, he scored 89 off 42 balls against England, and in the final against New Zealand he scored 89 off 46 balls, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 321 runs. He was named Player of the Tournament.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad continues as CSK captain in IPL 2026. He was forced to leave the 2025 tournament midway after suffering a hairline fracture of the elbow and did not return for the remainder of the season. He was the Orange Cap winner when CSK won the IPL 2021 title. The squad has been substantially rebuilt around him ahead of this season, with a number of younger players added through auction and trade.

Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad was CSK's leading wicket-taker in IPL 2025, claiming 24 wickets at an average of 17 and an economy rate of 8.16. He was the franchise's most expensive signing at the 2025 Mega Auction, purchased for INR 10 crore. With Jadeja now at Rajasthan Royals, Noor takes on the role of lead spinner at a franchise whose home ground, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, is regarded as one of the most spin-friendly surfaces in the IPL.

Also Read: CSK IPL history, stats, key moments: All you need to know about 2026 rebuild

Dewald Brevis

Dewald Brevis went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction but joined CSK mid-season as a replacement for Gurjapneet Singh. In six matches, he scored 225 runs at a strike rate of 180 and was retained by the franchise for 2026. The South African batter has appeared in 81 T20 matches, scoring 1,787 runs with a highest score of 162, and has represented South Africa in T20 Internationals.

Ayush Mhatre

Mhatre went unsold at the 2025 IPL auction before being called up as a replacement for the injured Gaikwad. He made his IPL debut on April 20, 2025 against Mumbai Indians, scoring 32 off 15 balls, and became the seventh youngest player to appear in an IPL match at 17 years and 278 days.

Across seven games in IPL 2025, he scored 240 runs at a strike rate of 188. He was subsequently appointed captain of India for the 2026 U19 World Cup and led the team to the title, finishing the tournament with 214 runs across seven matches, including half-centuries in the semi-final against Afghanistan and the final against England.

CSK's preparations have been disrupted by a pre-season hamstring injury to Australian pace bowler Nathan Ellis, leaving a gap in their death-bowling plans.

Their March 30 opener against Rajasthan Royals the franchise Samson left and to which Jadeja and Curran were traded, is one of the most closely watched fixtures of the opening round.