GT shuts down reports of Washington Sundar’s move to CSK- Reports

Washington Sundar was acquired by GT for INR 3.2 crores in IPL 2025 auction.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) attempt to bring Washington Sundar from the Gujarat Titans (GT) has ended in disappointment as reports have stated that the GT management has declined their request for a trade ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction.

The five-time winners have shown an interest in bringing home the local kid, who plays for the GT, to replace R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

After opening trade talks with Rajasthan Royals (RR) about the Jadeja-Samson exchange, Chennai began hunting for other spin bowling resources to replace their all-time leading wicket-taker. For a squad that has built its strategy around spinners, Ashwin’s retirement and Jadeja’s departure mean they are missing a key Indian spinner.

The only known spinner in the lineup is Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad, who bowls left-arm wrist-spin, with Shreyas Gopal serving as a backup. Chennai looked into the possibility of adding Washington to the team, which would have reunited him with head coach Stephen Fleming, given their limited departmental resources.

Fleming oversaw Washington’s first IPL season with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants, where he demonstrated his ability to be a dependable powerplay bowler.

GT management refuses to trade Washington Sundar to CSK- Reports

He only participated in six games after GT paid Rs 3.2 crore for him last season. But since then, as he has developed into an all-format performer for India, his stock has skyrocketed.

Most significantly, as demonstrated during the T20I series in Australia, his batting, especially power-hitting, has significantly improved.

With smashes all around the park and the capacity to improvise, the 26-year-old remains a batsman who has been under-utilized, as he has demonstrated in the past that he can create damage at the top as an opener. It is hardly surprising that GT is reluctant to let go of him in light of these circumstances.

The Chennai franchise would now have to look for other venues for a spinner. They have invested heavily in the spinners with Muttiah Muralitharan, R Ashwin, and Shadab Jakati forming the core in the initial IPL years. Then they relied on the experience of Imran Tahir and Harbhajan Singh, and Moeen Ali.

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram stadium is no longer the one that assisted spinners, leading to panic in the CSK camp. However, it is yet unclear if they will be able to sign a well-known Indian spinner. Due to the impact on their squad balance, most teams typically don’t want to play two foreign spinners. Chennai will have a lot to do at the auction if they want to rebuild their team and become competitive once more.

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