IPL Retentions Preview | Sanju in CSK colours to be or not to be as Pathirana question looms large – SportsCafe.in

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ByGantavya Adukia,SportsCafe Editor
Chennai Super Kings have their task cut out ahead of IPL 2026 as a wooden spoon finish in the previous season has left them with key player retention decisions to make. This article looks at the big names that are under risk of being released and potential targets at the mini-auction in December.
Since the turn of the decade, every Chennai Super Kings season has felt less like a professional outfit gunning for one of the toughest trophies to win in franchise cricket and more like an MS Dhoni farewell tour. The fact that they have still managed to emerge triumphant twice amidst all the humdrum is simply a testament to the success-driven culture they have managed to build since first coming into being in 2008. However, all that opulence seemed to finally take a toll in 2025, as the team seemed to become a victim of its own deeply embedded principles of loyalty and trust in experience, culminating in a maiden bottom of the pile finish with just four wins in 14 games. The Yellow Army might have been forgiving if the season felt like a blip, but the Whistle Podu clan is well aware there are deep-rooted issues in their squad composition that need to be addressed before failure becomes routine. They have done so in the past, and here is how they can do it again come 2026.
Chennai Super Kings made two mid-season signings last season in Dewald Brevis and Ayush Mhatre, which meant they ended the season with a salary cap of INR 122.45 crores, making player releases mandatory ahead of the next season to stay within the allotted budget of INR 120 crores. It bodes well for them financially that Ravichandran Ashwin has already announced his decision to retire, freeing up a significant INR 9.75 crores that the franchise had spent on the veteran’s homecoming. However, CSK need to enter the auction with a purse big enough to go after their targets regardless of competition if they are to undertake an overhaul, leaving several players on the chopping block.
On the forefront of that list is Devon Conway, who failed to impress in a six-game stretch last season before being dropped. Even though the Kiwi played a crucial role in bringing their last title home, Conway has just three fifties in the last three years for New Zealand and has not had a standout campaign in any other league either, ever since. With the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Shaikh Rasheed, and Rachin Ravindra all gunning for top-order roles, Conway’s price tag of INR 6.25 crores makes him the most disposable member in the contingent.
The biggest area of concern for the Chepauk-based franchise last season was a hollow middle-order, leaving them prone to collapses and decisive slowdowns, the side ending with the worst middle overs strike rate and second-worst average per wicket in IPL 2025. The domestic trio at the heart of those failures was Rahul Tripathi (3.4cr), Deepak Hooda (1.7cr), and Vijay Shankar (1.2cr) — not an unexpected result given their recent track records, leaving them all vulnerable to being axed without affecting the team too much.
CSK also have three pace-bowling all-rounders in their ranks in Sam Curran (2.4cr), Nathan Ellis (2cr), and Jamie Overton (1.5cr). Given Curran’s recent T20 exploits on the global stage that has spurred him back into the England set-up and Ellis’ death bowling prowess, it is Overton who is most likely to be fared well. Then there are also youngsters/ fringe players like Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shreyas Gopal, and Ramakrishna Ghosh (30L each) that CSK can use to create extra room in their budget.
Should Chennai go through with all the releases as discussed in the first section, they will be left with a purse in the range of 20 to 25 crore rupees. While that is a commendable budget for a team in the mini-auction looking to fix a few moving parts, it is not enough for a team looking for a complete overhaul. Now, amongst players earning over five crores, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Noor Ahmad carry no risk of being dropped as integral members of the CSK XI, which leaves Matheesha Pathirana as the most viable option to create further room in the budget. After bursting onto the scene with 32 wickets in two full seasons for the Yellow Army, a change in action has reduced the pacer’s effectiveness so much that he no longer even features for Sri Lanka in their first-choice lineup. Last year in the IPL, the right-arm quick conceded runs at 10.13 (as compared to 7.68 in 2024) and managed just 13 wickets at an average of over 30 (13 apiece in ’24). Even though head coach Stephen Fleming reiterated throughout the season that the failures were more down to a lack of tactical evolution and predictability rather than any mechanical changes to his bowling, neither reason bodes well for Pathirana’s future in the team. However, the right-arm quick is only 22 years of age, and at the peak of his powers had an astonishing economy rate while being near-unplayable at the death for two years straight. Letting him go could be a premature decision that might come back to bite them, but it might be their only way out if they are to get some of their big target names discussed later in this article.
Moving to a slightly lower price block, the next most vulnerable name is Rachin Ravindra, as two half-centuries in 18 innings, averaging under 25, does not inspire much confidence. However, like Pathirana, the Kiwi is 25 and likely about to enter his batting prime. The New Zealander has already shown an uncanny ability against spin in subcontinental conditions, albeit in the longer formats of the game, but more importantly, gone from averaging under 15 for his country in T20Is until 2024 to scoring 230 runs at 38.33 and a strike rate of 165-plus this year. Not only did Rachin do well on slow Zimbabwean tracks earlier in the year, the kind Chennai thrives on producing, but he also seems to have understood the rhythm required for the shortest format of the game. With Conway and a large part of the middle-order core gone, Rachin presents himself as a tempting number-three option with his wily spin to accompany the sheer batting talent. Besides, a price tag of four crores is almost as cheap as they come for a commodity with Rachin’s range and all-round ability at this age.
Another name at risk potentially is Khaleel Ahmed, considering the wealth of Indian pace bowling options CSK have with Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti. However, the veteran is not only one of the most experienced and proven left-arm seamers in the country at the moment but was also arguably their best bowler last season after Noor Ahmad, making him unlikely to be released back to the pool.
Depending on which way they go with the big calls, that will dictate who Chennai can realistically target in the auction. The prime candidate for them has to be Sanju Samson if the Rajasthan Royals skipper ends up being released, given he would solve Chennai’s search for a number three, a back-up wicket-taker, and a leader should the Ruturaj project go awry — not to mention another persona to anchor their brand around in the medium-term following the inevitable departure of Dhoni. However, Samson is likely to go for over 20 crores if recent trends at auctions are anything to go by, given he will enter as the most premium name on the market by far. Besides, Kolkata and Delhi are both in search of top-order and wicket-keeping options, and are likely to enter the auction with a budget significantly larger than Chennai’s.
Perhaps the second name on their list to fill the top/middle-order hole is Venkatesh Iyer, given he is another proven IPL performer and can bowl seam ups too, if required, alongside Dube. But much like Samson, Iyer is likely to come at a premium given his current price tag of nearly 25 crores, making him viable only if the market opens up favourably for CSK. Cameron Green is a name only worth mentioning for similar reasons, given both his suitability to Chennai conditions and market value make him an unlikely CSK prospect.
If Samson and Iyer are not to be, then Ben Duckett, Tim Seifert, Sam Billings, and Alex Carey are the other wicket-keeping options available, with all barring the Australian ideal options to slot in alongside Gaikwad and Mhatre in the top-order. However, CSK might deem Rachin to already be at par or an upgrade over them as batters, and with Curran also an able number three around the globe, the franchise might just choose to stick with Urvil Patel and Vansh Bedi as the backup glovesmen. Similarly, fellow foreign prospects such as Glenn Maxwell, Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, and Michael Bracewell could be looked as middle-order options given their secondary skills with the ball, but not only do they overcrowd a batting order already consisting the likes of Dube, Brevis, Jadeja, and Dhoni in those spots, but are also less suited to potential Chepauk conditions than Rachin.
Another key opening is for a spinner in lieu of Ashwin’s departure, but the market is pretty thin in this particular department, and even more so domestically. A Ravi Bishnoi might become available if Lucknow Super Giants run out of patience, but the leggie is young, has had multiple good seasons, and is still part of the India A setup, suggesting the faith higher-ups in Indian cricket have in his ability. For the sake of a discussion, though, potential targets include Mayank Markande (KKR), Manav Suthar (GT), Shams Mulani, and Adil Rashid, amongst others. 
The franchise could also do with pacers if they are to release any or all of Pathirana, Kamboj, Gurjapneet, Mukesh, and Nagarkoti. Names like T Natarajan, Rasikh Dhar, Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur, and Akash Deep are all expected to be in the auction pool in 2026, and Chennai should have the budget to take their desired pick, unless their plans collide with one of the other big-budget teams.
Possible CSK XII: 1 Ayush Mhatre 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad 3 Sam Curran/ Rachin Ravindra/ Sanju Samson 4 Dewald Brevis 5 Shivam Dube 6 Ravindra Jadeja 7 MS Dhoni 8 Noor Ahmad 9 Matheesha Pathirana 10 Anshul Kamboj/ Gurjapneet Singh/ Mukesh Choudhary 11 Khaleel Ahmed  12 (Front-line spinner/ spin-bowling all-rounder)
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