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Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made several notable moves at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, investing heavily in a few relatively unknown young talents while also picking up some under-the-radar overseas players to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season.
Having completed a 25-player roster, CSK will now turn their focus to analysing combinations and finalising a strong playing XI. On that note, let us take a look at CSK’s predicted playing XI for IPL 2026.
CSK predicted playing 11 for IPL 2026 after auction
Top-Order: Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain)
Ruturaj-Gaikwad. (Photo source: X)
CSK’s top-order looked well settled even before the auction, with multiple quality options already in place. The team is expected to open with Ayush Mhatre and Sanju Samson. Mhatre featured in seven matches for CSK during IPL 2025, scoring at an impressive strike rate of over 180. He is likely to be partnered by Samson, who was traded from Rajasthan Royals (RR) and has more than 4,000 IPL runs to his name.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to slot in at No. 3. Gaikwad missed IPL 2025 due to injury but has since shown excellent form in domestic cricket across formats. He also recently struck a brilliant century against Australia in ODIs and will look to lead CSK from the front in his return season.
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