I’ve never been a been a huge rollercoaster fan; maybe it’s the heights, the turns, or maybe my years as a Chennai Super Kings supporter have been tumultuous enough that no other rollercoaster comes close. 17 years, 100+ players, 5 titles, 5-time runners-up, 2 banned seasons, and an incredible journey in between.
After a tame 2025, I thought the CSK rollercoaster was coming to a halt, but then, everything changed…
In a twist that not even the sickest minds at Alton Towers or Six Flags could conceive, CSK have traded away their golden boy, Ravindra Jadeja. Only 2 seasons ago, Jadeja was smashing Mohit Sharma back over his head and then flicking him for four, to win CSK their 5th IPL final. Yet here we are.
CSK’s Managing Director, Kasi Viswanathan, said that “As a franchise […] over the years, we have not used the path of trading. The team management felt the need of a top order, Indian batter […] the best way was to go through the trade window”.
Prior to this, CSK had reportedly been looking to trade for Washington Sundar, to replace Jadeja – who, admittedly, is 36 years old, and retired from T20Is. That fell through, and all was quiet, until murmurings of this trade dropped. All of a sudden, Jadeja is returning home to Rajasthan, alongside Sam Curran – a fairly expendable piece for Chennai – while Samson, the Kerela-born wicketkeeper batter, moves closer to home himself.
Samson has had a strange record since becoming a regular in the Indian T20I side. Since 2024, he’s hit 3 T20I centuries, the most by a full member nation batter, yet he’s averaged just 31.05 during this period. That run includes 5 ducks – only Saim Ayub (7) and Tanzid Hasan (6) have more among opening batters from full-member nations. It’s been a tale of two halves for Samson, as 2025 was underwhelming for him, after an incredible 2024.
CSK’s focus on an Indian top order batter seems strange as they had them in abundance last year: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Shaik Rasheed, and Rahul Tripathi. Despite the latter two since being released, it would seem that CSK’s biggest issue does not lie with its Indian top order batters, and trading the consistent glue of the team, Ravindra Jadeja, for a hit-or-miss player like Samson seems reckless.
However, after a poor 2025 – finishing dead last, with only 4 wins – they had to do something, and this is definitely a statement move. CSK’s predicted line up now looks something like this:
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
- Ayush Mhatre
- Sanju Samson
- Dewald Brevis (OS)
- Shivam Dube
- ?
- MS Dhoni
- Anshul Kamboj
- Nathan Ellis (OS)
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Noor Ahmad (OS)
- ?
With the removal of Jadeja – someone who could bat anywhere from 4-8, and give you 4 solid overs every single game – there is now a gaping imbalance in the CSK side.
That number 6 spot is calling out for an overseas finisher, who can ideally bowl 2-4 overs a game. Glenn Maxwell? Cameron Green? Andre Russell? Liam Livingstone? The options are plentiful, and CSK have the second biggest purse in the auction, which will be needed to get one of these big names.
The impact player ideally is an Indian bowler (most likely a spinner) who is handy with the bat, as CSK’s tail looks uncharacteristically long. Looking in-house, Shreyas Gopal has had an impressive domestic run but has an underwhelming IPL record. Other options through the auction are Ravi Bishnoi, Mahipal Lomror, Rahul Chahar or Vignesh Puthur.
It’s a tough call for CSK, and on top of filling these spots, they will need to provide squad depth, for the inevitable CSK injuries and dips in form. However, their record speaks for itself: five-time champions do not trade such an important player and go into auctions with no strategy, right?
With such a large spending purse, could this year bring title number 6 for the Men in Yellow?
