Aakash Chopra urges Chennai Super Kings to strengthen batting unit in IPL 2026 mini auction

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Chennai Super Kings will look to boost their batting order in the upcoming IPL 2026 mini auction. The five-time champions released 13 players before the auction, including batters like Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway.

Furthermore, all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were traded to Rajasthan Royals. CSK have a remaining purse value of INR 43.40 crore and they can buy at most nine players, including four foreign players.

Chopra reckons CSK could look to target Kartik Sharma in the auction and feels the batter can become the most expensive uncapped player. The renowned commentator is not sure whether CSK will look to buy back in-form Deepak Hooda. 

“The batting has been overhauled because Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda have been released. Hooda has set the stage on fire for Rajasthan. However, will the team look back towards him? I am not sure. Although it seems they don’t need batting considering the form of the top six, I feel they need batting because they have also released Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“I feel they will shop for batters. There is a boy named Kartik Sharma. He hits a lot of sixes. He can go to Kolkata as well as he is a wicketkeeper-batter and he can also come here. He won’t keep. He is a Rajasthan boy. He might be the highest-paid uncapped player in this auction. He might go to them. There is a strong possibility,” he added.

Meanwhile, CSK’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has retired whereas Jadeja has moved to Rajasthan Royals. Noor Ahmad and Shreyas Gopal are the only two spinners in the squad.

“They let Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) go and (Ravichandran) Ashwin had gone before that, which means the spin department has become empty. Only Noor Ahmad is left and along with him, Shreyas Gopal,” he said.

The former Delhi cricketer said CSK might target leg spinners like Rahul Chahar and Ravi Bishnoi in the auction.

“So they will have to shop for spin and not a lot of spinners are going to be in the auction. I am thinking about Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar as two players. Apart from them, too many people aren’t there,” Chopra observed.

The IPL 2026 auction is all set to take center stage on December 16, 2025, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.