Former India opener Aakash Chopra has named his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) playing 12 for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The five-time champions invested in youngsters in the IPL 2026 mini-auction last week and will be looking to make a strong comeback after finishing bottom of the table last season.
Naming his choice in a video shared on his 'X' handle, Chopra made an interesting call as he kept only two overseas players in the team – Noor Ahmed and Dewald Brewis.
Young and talented cricketer turned specialist Ayush Mhatre opened the batting along with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. sanju samsonChopra, who was traded to Rajasthan Royals before the auction, chose him to bat at number 3.
At No. 4, Chopra decided to go with young Karthik Sharma, who was signed for Rs 14.2 crore in the auction. Chopra was followed by Brewis and Shivam Dubey in the batting order.
At the seventh position, the former Delhi captain chose all-rounder Prashant Veer, who also bagged a contract worth Rs 14.2 crore in the auction. The great MS Dhoni is at number eight in Chopra's team.
The spin attack includes wrist spinners Noor and Rahul Chahar. Meanwhile, Khaleel Ahmed Chopra is the only specialist fast bowler in the XI. Right-arm fast bowler Anshul Kamboj, who recently made his international debut during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, is the impact player named in the line-up.
Aakash Chopra predicted CSK playing 12 for IPL 2026: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Karthik Sharma, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dubey, Prashant Veer, MS Dhoni, Noor Ahmed, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed.
Impact Player: -Anshul Kamboj.
CSK went into the auction with the second-highest purse of Rs 43.4 crore. He made some major changes to his team, releasing out-of-form veterans like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar and hiring youngsters like Karthik and Veer. The Men in Yellow will be determined to make the playoffs after missing out on the last two editions of the cash-rich league.
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