IPL 2026: CSK’s New Joinee Kartik Sharma ‘extremely Excited To Play Alongside MS Dhoni’
India’s Kartik and Prashant Veer became the joint-highest-priced uncapped players in IPL history as Chennai Super Kings invested heavily in young talent. CSK paid an astonishing Rs 14.20 crore each for both players, who started with a base price of Rs 30 lakh, highlighting the franchise’s strategic move towards nurturing emerging talent.
Speaking to JioStar, CSK’s new addition Kartik shared his thoughts on being roped in by the five-time champions, saying, “First of all, a special thank you to all my family members & friends, without their support, I don’t think I would have reached this stage. My entire family is very happy, everyone is celebrating and dancing.”
“I’m extremely excited to play alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni and learn from him. When the bidding started, I was scared I might miss out. But as the bid kept going up, I started crying. Even after it ended, I couldn’t stop. I was overwhelmed with emotion and happiness, I honestly don’t know how to put it into words,” he added.
Kartik, recognised for his aggressive middle-order batting and reliable wicketkeeping, has scored 334 runs in 12 T20 matches at a strike rate of 164, smashing 28 sixes, and was among the top six-hitters in the Ranji Trophy.
“I’m extremely excited to play alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni and learn from him. When the bidding started, I was scared I might miss out. But as the bid kept going up, I started crying. Even after it ended, I couldn’t stop. I was overwhelmed with emotion and happiness, I honestly don’t know how to put it into words,” he added.
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Having trained with the CSK squad last season, Kartik has earned praise across the domestic circuit for his ability to excel against both spin and pace.