Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 15 (ANI): Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings released a staggering 11 players, the most among the 10 franchises and will head into the auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. With the second-biggest purse of Rs 43.4 crore after Kolkata Knight Riders (Rs 64.3 crore), CSK will look to add new faces in the auction, scheduled to be held on December 16.
CSK announced the list of retained and released players on Saturday ahead of the 19th edition of the cash-rich league. The most prominent overseas departures include Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana and Sam Curran.
The English all-rounder was part of one of the biggest trade deals in IPL history, which saw CSK stalwart Ravindra Jadeja move to his first IPL franchise, the Rajasthan Royals. In return, the Super Kings acquired the Royals' captain, Sanju Samson, who had been a part of the franchise for more than a decade across two stints.
Samson will don the CSK's yellow at his existing price of Rs 18 crore, while Jadeja's league fee has been revised from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore. Curran, who was included to sweeten the deal, moved to Rajasthan at his existing price of Rs 2.4 crore.
Jadeja ends his chapter with Chennai as the leading wicket-taker for CSK in IPL history, with 143 scalps in 186 matches at an average of 28.32, with best figures of 5/16. Jadeja, known for his swordsman celebration, is also the team's fifth-highest run-getter in IPL history, with 2,198 runs at an average of 28.54 and a strike rate of over 136, including five fifties.
Five-time champions CSK picked Conway for Rs 6.25 crores last year, while they acquired Rachin's services via the right-to-match card option for Rs 4 crores. However, both struggled for consistency and impact in the previous season.
While Rachin scored 191 runs in eight innings with a fifty at a strike rate of 128.18 and averaged 27.28, Conway could score just 156 runs in his six innings at an average of 26.00, with a strike rate of over 131, with two fifties.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who was retained for a staggering price of Rs 13 crore before the 2025 mega auction, has been released before IPL 2026. With his slingy action and the ability to consistently notch 140kph-plus deliveries, Pathirana scalped 19 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 8.01 during CSK's run to the title in 2023.
However, in the last edition of the tournament, Pathirana turned out to be a disappointment, finishing the campaign with 13 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 10.13.
Chennai, who finished at the bottom of the table for the first time in the history of the IPL, got rid of their misfiring middle order, one of the factors that led to their downfall. Andre Siddarth has departed without getting a game. Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Shaikh Rasheed, and Vijay Shankar have also left Chepauk after a harrowing run.
Dewald Brewis, who injected the much-needed impetus in CSK's campaign after being signed as a replacement for Gurjapneet Singh, has been retained. During his brief stint, Brevis flaunted his boundary-hitting muscle and walloped 225 runs in six innings with a strike rate of 180.00, with two fifties.
Chennai will also miss the presence of Ravichandran Ashwin, who returned to the franchise for a whopping price tag of Rs 9.75 crore in last year's mega auction. The 39-year-old became unavailable for the next edition of India's premier T20 tournament after announcing his retirement earlier this year.
Retained players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed
Released Players: Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Andre Siddarth, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi. (ANI)