Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made several notable moves in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, investing heavily in some relatively unknown young talents while also picking up some under-the-radar overseas players to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season.
After completing the roster of 25 players, CSK will now turn their focus to analyzing the combinations and finalizing a strong playing XI. On that note, let's 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)
Even before the auction, CSK's top order looked well settled, with several quality options already in place. It is expected that the team will open with Ayush Mhatre sanju samsonMhatre featured in seven matches for CSK during IPL 2025, scoring runs at an impressive strike rate of over 180, His teammate is likely to be Samson, who was traded to Rajasthan Royals (RR) and has over 4,000 IPL runs to his name,
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to come in at number 3. Gaikwad missed IPL 2025 due to injury, but since then he has shown great form in domestic cricket across all formats. He also recently scored a brilliant century in the ODI against Australia and will look to lead CSK from the front in his comeback season.
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