CSK have four wicketkeepers in their squad, 19-year-old Kartik Sharma, who is in his teens; Urvil Patel, in his 20s; Sanju Samson, in his 30s; and MS Dhoni, in his 40s.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Men in Yellow had a good outing at the auction, which took place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and invested heavily in youth as they aimed to build a futuristic team. Notable inclusions were youngsters Prashant Veer from Uttar Pradesh and Kartik Sharma of Rajasthan, as the duo fetched Rs. 14.20 crores each to become the joint-costliest uncapped players in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mukund opined that CSK made a massive \u2018tectonic shift\u2019 in their approach and dubbed the current squad \u2018a very different side.\u2019 Analysing their auction strategy and outcome, Mukund said, \u201cI think CSK have put together a pretty solid side. Their retentions earlier were always based on what had worked for them in the past, but now everything is out of the window. For 2026, it\u2019s almost like a 30 per cent investment in wicketkeepers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey now have one from every decade \u2014 one in his teens, one in his 20s, one in his 30s and one in his 40s. On a serious note, this is a complete reset for CSK. Just imagine the number of meetings they must have had before arriving at these decisions, because this is a legacy franchise built on one system, one belief, and strong player loyalty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mukund opined that CSK made a massive \u2018tectonic shift\u2019 in their approach and dubbed the current squad \u2018a very different side.\u2019 Analysing their auction strategy and outcome, Mukund said, \u201cI think CSK have put together a pretty solid side. Their retentions earlier were always based on what had worked for them in the past, but now everything is out of the window. For 2026, it\u2019s almost like a 30 per cent investment in wicketkeepers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
CSK Squad for IPL 2026: Anshul Kamboj, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Khaleel Ahmed, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Nood Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Urvil Patel, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Dasun Shanaka, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes<\/p>\r\n\r\n