Chennai Super Kings will be eyeing a revamp after finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time in the history of IPL in 2025. The five-time champions managed to win just 4 out of 14 games, with most of their auction picks and regular players failing to fire. CSK’s face-saver came in the form of mid-season signings who were youngsters like Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel who fit into a team that was referred to as ‘Dads Army’. Ahead of IPL 2026, let us take a look at three players that CSK should get rid of.
3 stars CSK should release before IPL 2026
1. MS Dhoni
Having led CSK to five IPL trophies in the past, Dhoni was quite a letdown in the 2025 edition of the tournament. While he continues to be the heartbeat of the team, the former India captain simply has nothing to offer to the team apart from leadership skills. In IPL 2025, he managed to score just 196 runs in 14 matches, and was often criticised for demoting himself down the batting order, even when the team needed him the most.
At 44 years of age, MS will not only be the oldest player to feature in IPL in 2026 but will also be a liability for the team, given that he isn’t 100% fit. CSK’s coach and Dhoni himself have admitted that he has issues with his knee and hence isn’t the same destructive finisher who he was previously. While CSK will never release MS Dhoni, it is high time they free up a space in the playing XI by getting rid of him before the next season, because a revamp is surely needed.
2. Rahul Tripathi
Signed for Rs 3.40 crore, Tripathi was an absolute failure for CSK in IPL 2025. The team’s bet on the experienced player backfired as he managed to score just 55 runs in 5 matches, maintaining a miserable average of 11. Since Rahul got no more chances after playing 5 games, it is better for CSK to release him before IPL 2026, free-up their purse and perhaps use that money to target another youngster or rather a specialist top-order batter.
3. Deepak Hooda
Another experienced player who simply underperformed was Deepak Hooda. The all-rounder, who was bagged by CSK for Rs 1.70 crore, managed to score just 31 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 75.61 and averaged 6.20. Although he batted down the order, it is no less than a criminal offence to have such numbers in the shortest format of the game in modern day cricket. Hooda has never had an IPL campaign with an average more than 18.20 in the last five years!
CSK squad for IPL 2025
Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w/c), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Anshul Kamboj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Gopal, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi, Ruturaj Gaikwad & Gurjapneet Singh
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