IPL 2026: Predicting the strongest playing XI of CSK after retentions

Chennai Super Kings’ hypothetical XI blends youth, explosive firepower and overseas seamers. If CSK fields this XI consisting of only the players retained, the team’s balance looks built to win powerplays, control middle overs and close games with pace.

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Sanju Samson, as an aggressive opener, provides CSK with a left-right contrast and big-hitting ability to set frantic starts or rebuild. Recently, he was traded from Rajasthan to CSK, which would make him a marquee top-order option.

Teenager Ayush Mhatre was IPL 2025’s breakout with a blitz and the temperament for T20 acceleration. Slotting him at two or as a floater provides fearless intent in the power play and depth through the middle.

Ruturaj Gaikwad remains the calm anchor who can bat for a long time and rotate. Pairing him with Samson and Mhatre balances aggression with stability. Dewald Brevis supplies raw aerial power and improvisation to punish anything loose in the middle overs. His IPL profile explains why franchises value his finishing skills.

Shivam Dube at five offers a finish-first Indian allrounder in big-hitting with occasional seam overs, while Jamie Overton brings pace, late-order hitting, and an extra seam option useful on Chennai tracks. Overton’s 2025 arrival added power to CSK’s overseas seam battery.

MS Dhoni remains the tactical heartbeat with his finishing experience and calm at the death, giving this XI a reliable closer and a successful captain’s cricket brain behind younger aggressors.

The bowling mix balances pace and wrist spin. Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis provide new-ball punch and death-over control. Khaleel’s swing and Ellis’s variations can trouble batters. Noor Ahmad’s left-arm wrist-spin complements Shreyas Gopal’s leg-spin craft, with two wicket-taking options in the middle overs who can choke scoring and force mistakes. Noor’s 2025 spells showed why wrist spin is a CSK trump card at Chepauk.

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Against pace-heavy attacks, CSK’s top four can build partnerships while the seam duo exploit bounce; on turning tracks, Noor and Gopal could be match-winners. The XI keeps flexibility as Overton and Ellis can swap roles, and Dube and Brevis provide finishers who can bat deep, lowering death-over risk, and lift crucial trophies.

Probable playing XI: Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmed, Shreyas Gopal, Nathan Ellis.

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