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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have assembled a quality team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. By acquiring Sanju Samson via trade, CSK had already taken a step in the right direction and ticked the remaining boxes at the IPL 2026 auction.
Ashwin’s best CSK Playing XI for IPL 2026
Earlier today, CSK asked Twitterati about which playing XII (XI plus impact player) they would field. IPL legend Ravichandran Ashwin was quick to reply and named his side. Contrary to common belief, Ashwin didn’t pick Samson as Ruturaj Gaikwad’s opening partner.
| Ayush Mhatre | Opener |
| Sanju Samson | Opener |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) | Top-order batter |
| Shivam Dube | Pace bowling all-rounder |
Dewald Brevis | Middle-order batter |
| Prashant Veer | Spin bowling all-rounder |
| MS Dhoni | Wicketkeeper |
| Akeal Hossein/ Matt Henry | Spinner/ Pacer |
| Khaleel Ahmed | Pacer |
| Nathan Ellis | Pacer |
| Noor Ahmad | Spinner |
| Anshul Kamboj/ Karthik Sharma/ Shreyas Gopal/ Sarfaraz Khan | Impact Player |
He stuck with Ayush Mhatre as the designated opener and pushed Gaikwad to number three. Ashwin promoted Ashwin Dube to four and stuck with Dewald Brevis at six. As expected, Prashant Veer has been slotted at seven as the like-for-like replacement of Ravindra Jadeja.
Depending on conditions, Ashwin thinks CSK should pick one of Matt Henry or Akeal Hossein at right. This will be followed by Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, and Noor Ahmad. Depending on whether CSK are batting first or second, they might use one of four impact players: Anshul Kamboj, Karthik Sharma, Shreyas Gopal, or Sarfaraz Khan.
CSK squad for IPL 2026
MS Dhoni (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma (wk), Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes
The post Samson opener, Gaikwad at 3 & Dhoni keeper: Ashwin’s best CSK Playing XI for IPL 2026 appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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