Dad's Army to T20 babies: CSK reset DNA, but did they get IPL 2026 auction wrong?

Chennai Super Kings are no longer the Dad’s Army. With 16 players in their 25-man squad aged under 30, the five-time champions flipped the script at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Long known for backing seasoned campaigners and proven international performers, CSK have now bet big on uncapped young Indians.
They made 20-year-old Prashant Veer, a left-arm spinner and big-hitter from Uttar Pradesh, and 19-year-old Kartik Sharma, a wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan, the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history, paying Rs 14.2 crore each at Tuesday’s auction in Abu Dhabi.
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IPL auction report card | Sold and unsold players
For years, CSK prided themselves on proving the world wrong. When T20 cricket was labelled a young man’s game, the Men in Yellow fought back to show that experience was worth its weight in gold. In 2018, when they were first branded the Dad’s Army, CSK had four players aged over 35. They wore the label proudly — and lifted the title.
The franchise stuck stubbornly to that mantra. Young guns often warmed the bench, and during their lean run in 2020, MS Dhoni infamously remarked that some youngsters in the squad ‘lacked spark’. Yet the method worked. CSK went on to add two more titles, in 2021 and 2023.
Something changed in 2025.
Also Read: Why uncapped players sold like hot cakes?
Midway through the season, after losing captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to injury, Dhoni was forced to take charge once again. But the gaps were too big to plug. CSK finished with the wooden spoon for the first time in IPL history. And yet, towards the end of that miserable campaign, they stumbled upon something that altered their thinking.
A 19-year-old Ayush Mhatre, drafted in as a replacement player, batted fearlessly at the top of the order. Dewald Brevis, 22, was smashing attacks all over the park. Urvil Patel, a 27-year-old wicketkeeper from Gujarat, was tonking bowlers into the stands at will. It was a refreshing sight for a side that had struggled badly for pace and intent, with the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Devon Conway failing to get going.
Fresh blood and a fearless approach gave CSK a high that proved difficult to resist, especially during a troubled season. They were prepared to let go of Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the auction. They pulled off a landmark trade for Sanju Samson, signalling that a transition was finally under way.
CSK came well prepared for the Abu Dhabi auction too. Had this been an auction five years ago, they would almost certainly have gone hard after established 30-plus names such as Liam Livingstone, David Miller or Jason Holder to fill their lower middle-order gap. This time, CSK did not even bid for two of the three, and pulled out of the race for Holder despite having money to push.
So, what has led to the change?
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming conceded that the franchise had been slow to evolve with the demands of modern T20 cricket.
“As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it,” he said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success but we identified that we needed to shift and partly the work that we did last season halfway through has enabled us to continue that work done,” he added.
“So that is one thing to acknowledge, that T20 babies are now coming through. And it’s just that mental aspect. Sometimes an experienced player can get caught up in himself, trying to work out where the game’s going and what’s going on. But these young players these days, they’re just very free and they only know one way,” Fleming said.
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“So there’s real appeal, especially when the game is being played faster and faster. I think it’s a by-product of T20 being around for some time now and we’re all learning, being involved with it, and the faster it gets, these young players seem to play better.”
Is it only the appeal of ‘T20 babies’? There appears to be more to it.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER DHONI?
CSK have been trying hard to get their succession planning right. Despite winning three titles in the last eight years, the franchise have been preparing — at times appearing to overthink — for life after MS Dhoni. The legendary captain, the face and brain of CSK since 2008, attempted to hand over the reins in 2022, only to return midway through the season. Ruturaj Gaikwad was handed the job in 2023, but results under the young Maharashtra batter have been mixed.
The acquisition of Sanju Samson underlines the importance of star power in a post-Dhoni era. And with everything that has transpired over the last eight months, it is evident that CSK are laying serious foundations for a future-ready core once Dhoni decides to hang up his boots.
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Former CSK batter Robin Uthappa believes that moment is imminent.
“I think the writing is on the wall. This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni’s last season. No more conjecture, no more speculation about whether he is going to play another year or not. This year, he will be well and truly done,” Uthappa told JioHotstar.
“I think all the signs point towards that when you look at the investment in youth and the kind of teams they have picked since last year. They are focused on developing talent, uncovering talent and keeping that talent within the franchise,” he added.
CSK now have four wicketkeepers in the squad — 19-year-old Kartik, 27-year-old Urvil, 31-year-old Samson and the 44-year-old Thala himself. Isn’t that a clear sign>?
DID CSK GET THE AUCTION RIGHT?
Which brings us to the final, uncomfortable question.
CSK have invested heavily in youth, but have they built a squad for the here and now? In a league that resets every three years, there is a fine line between succession planning and overthinking the future.
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The short answer: they’ve missed the mark.
Heading into the auction, the Super Kings’ "must-have" list was clear: a trusted finisher to complement Dhoni at the death, a like-for-like Jadeja replacement, an additional Indian spinner, and a gun overseas fast bowler to partner Nathan Ellis.
Did they cover those bases?
The investment in Prashant Veer is an admirable, inspired call. The 20-year-old offers the rare profile of left-arm spin and serious hitting power—a clear long-term project to fill Jadeja's shoes. His 2025 UP T20 League numbers—320 runs at a 155.34 strike rate and eight wickets at a 6.69 economy—back the hype.
But where does Kartik Sharma fit? The 19-year-old has primarily batted at No. 4 for Rajasthan in T20 cricket, a position currently under a vertical logjam in Chennai.
Look at their top four: Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Dewald Brevis. Even Urvil Patel, despite his sensational domestic form for Gujarat, might be forced to the sidelines following Samson’s arrival.
Why spend big for yet another middle-order wicketkeeper while ignoring the death-overs void? Why let David Miller slip to Delhi Capitals at a base price of just Rs 2 crore?
The bowling attack reveals similar cracks.
To compensate for Jadeja’s exit, CSK are backing Veer and the seasoned leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, with 25-year-old Aman Khan providing slow left-arm support for the retained Shreyas Gopal. While Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad will lead the spin department, the pace unit looks lopsided.
Securing Matt Henry provides world-class new-ball operation, but releasing Matheesha Pathirana has left them vulnerable at the death. Their domestic core—Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed—are largely new-ball specialists, as is backup quick Mukesh Choudhary. Relying on the untested Gurjapneet Singh to nail yorkers at the death is a high-stakes gamble.
The holes remain—and that is where the Super Kings should feel disappointed. Once renowned for winning titles at the auction table, CSK, in their search for a new DNA, appear to have missed the very basics when it mattered most.
CSK FULL SQUAD FOR IPL 2026
RETAINED PLAYERS: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (traded in from RR), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj
AUCTION BUYS: Akeal Hosein (Rs 2 crore), Prashant Veer (Rs 14.20 crore), Kartik Sharma (Rs 14.20 crore), Matthew Short (Rs 1.5 crore), Aman Khan (Rs 40 lakh), Sarfaraz Khan (Rs 75 lakh), Matt Henry (Rs 2 crore), Rahul Chahar (Rs 5.2 crore), Zak Foulkes (Rs 75 lakh)
- Ends