Top 5 best players of CSK in IPL 2026 ft. Sanju Samson

CSK will start their IPL 2026 campaign against RR on 30 March.

The five time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will be back for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where they will start their campaign on 30th March against Rajasthan Royals (RR). They retained most of their core, and then added a few important players through trade window and auction.

CSK had poor last two seasons in the IPL, where they failed to qualify for the playoffs. Ahead of IPL 2026, they roped in Sanju Samson by exchanging Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals during the trade window, and then in the auction they focused mainly on bidding for young players and some experienced bowlers.

With same core and few fresh additions, the expectations from the team are once again very high for the upcoming season. On that note, let’s have a look at the top 5 best players of CSK in IPL 2026.

5 best players of CSK in IPL 2026

5. Ayush Mhatre

Ayush Mhatre made his debut in the IPL last season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He came into the team as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad and was given the opening position right away, where he played 7 games and scored 240 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 188.

Recently, he also won the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup as the captain of the Indian team. Stepping into his second season, he is already a main player of the team, as the team will require him to fire like he did last season. He is expected to open alongside Sanju Samson, which will help him elevate his game even more.

4. Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad stood out as CSK’s best bowler in IPL 2025, where he took 24 wickets at an economy of 8.16 and an average of 17. He was brilliant throughout the campaign and took charge of the spin bowling. This time, with Ravindra Jadeja traded to Rajasthan Royals, Noor will have a much bigger responsibility.

He will be joined by the experience of Rahul Chahar to assist him. However, Noor’s role will be much bigger because M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, the home ground of CSK, is known as a spin paradise, and as the lead spinner of the team, the responsibility on him will be much higher.

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the current captain of CSK, had to leave the tournament midway due to an injury he suffered. He has played a major role in two of the trophies CSK has won. He was the Orange Cap winner when CSK won the IPL 2021 season.

His leadership and batting skills will be important this time as the team has changed a lot, and the team has recruited many younger players, which might suit the leadership technique of Ruturaj.

2. Dewald Brevis

Dewald Brevis went unsold in the auction of IPL 2025, but then he came as a replacement for Gurjapneet Singh for Chennai Super Kings. In 6 matches, he scored 225 runs with an impressive strike rate of 180. He was then retained by the team for the next season.

He has shown very good form in international cricket since and will be eager to show it again in IPL 2026. With his aggressive batting style and ability to accelerate the scoring rate, he could once again become a key player for CSK in the middle order this season.

1. Sanju Samson

CSK played a bet before the auction of IPL 2026, as they traded one of their most important players, Ravindra Jadeja, along with Sam Curran, to get Sanju Samson in the team. The fans were upset because they had emotions attached to Jadeja, but over time Sanju has shown with his batting that he could prove to be a very good addition for the five-time champions.

Sanju recently scored three back-to-back big scores in the T20 World Cup 2026, all of them in do-or-die matches for the India. He won two Player of the Match awards and was awarded Player of the Tournament for his brilliant performance. Carrying this impressive form, he has given CSK fans more reasons to be happy, as they will be expecting him to replicate the same in the upcoming IPL season.

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