CSK had a terrible season, missed the playoffs and finished last with just 3 wins in 13 games. They don’t change the team much but this time they used over 20 players and never found a steady batting lineup.
So what went wrong for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 and what should they fix for IPL 2026? One big issue was they stuck with players like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Devon Conway and Vijay Shankar who weren’t playing well and expecting them to turn things around. This plan had worked before but it didn’t work this time. The strategy wasn’t bad but it felt old fashioned because the experienced players couldn’t keep up with the current T20 match.
CSK realized this and have already started making changes by bringing in players like Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis and Urvil Patel. Adding these players is a good start for their preparation for IPL 2026.
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Also CSK missed their star player and Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad who was out with an injury. When he comes back and they fill a few gaps in the IPL 2026 Mini Auction, CSK could be a strong team again. But before that let’s look at the strongest possible playing 11 for Chennai Super Kings based on their current squad for IPL 2026.
Looking at the openers, CSK could have a strong pair in Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre. They really missed Ruturaj this year but finding Ayush Mhatre was a pleasant surprise. Other openers like Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway struggled but Ayush did better than expected. The Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre duo would be great to see in 2026.
In the middle order, Sam Curran is a good option for number 3. He can be moved up as an impact player if CSK lose early wickets or Ravindra Jadeja can bat there after the powerplay. Jadeja isn’t really a finisher so he’s better suited for the middle order right now. He has also performed well after getting promoted. Sam showed before the India vs Pakistan war that he can be a good number 3 and CSK might stick with him there.For finishers CSK have Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube and MS Dhoni. Dhoni is more of a backup so they need a strong finisher to support Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube. Both Brevis and Dube have been good as finishers and that’s their role now. Besides Dhoni they need a strong overseas or Indian finisher to make their finishing lineup stronger. They’ll get that player from the Auction and that player can also be their impact player.
IPL 2026 Strongest Playing 11 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)
- Ayush Mhatre
- Sam Curran
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Dewald Brevis
- Shivam Dube
- MS Dhoni (wk)
- Noor Ahmad
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Anshul Kamboj
It is the best bowling lineup for CSK, as it is the same as IPL 2025. The bowling department was the forte of CSK this season. Other than Pathirana and Jadeja looking off form, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, and Anshul Kamboj did well with the ball. If Jadeja and Pathirana can find their form, CSK is already sitting on a good bowling lineup for IPL 2026.
So, there is hopefully the playing 11 of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for IPL 2025. At least 8-9 players in the squad would surely be retained as of now. Their biggest trouble is finishing; they need an overseas or Indian finisher to sort that out, and if they do, they will surely make a comeback to power in 2026.
