Just a few days before the start of the IPL 2026, CSK have lost their star bowler, Australian Nathan Ellis, due to a hamstring injury. The speedster sustained the injury during a training session, and is unlikely to regain fitness during the tournament. Ellis, was seen as a replacement for Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana, who was not retained by the team.
Nathan Ellis injured ahead of IPL 2026
No replacement immediately
“It is a big blow for us. Ellis is a crucial bowler, especially in the death overs. We are looking at replacements,” Kasi Viswanthan, CSK CEO told Sportstar. Now, that puts spotlight onto Kiwi pacer Matt Henry, who could be a contender to make it to CSK playing XI.
One of the options that the team can look at is, Matt Henry, who was bought at the IPL Auction this year. He has an impressive T20I career record, where he has bagged 53 wickets in only 43 matches. Among the Indian players, there is a certain Gurjapneet Singh, who is making waves in the domestic circuit.
Meanwhile, the team can look at a few options, as far as the injury replacement is concerned. The foremost name is Gerald Coetzee. England pacer Josh Tongue could be an option for Chennai too. That said, Ellis had played 17 IPL matches in the past picking up 19 wickets.
CSK full squad IPL 2026: MS Dhoni (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Sanju Samson (traded in) (wk), Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Choudhary, Shivam Dube, Ayush Mhatre, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Dewald Brevis, Noor Ahmad, Urvil Patel (wk), Khaleel Ahmed, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Sarfaraz Khan, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry.
Cricket
Ajit Agarkar wants to stay on as India chief selector till 2027 ODI World Cup, BCCI yet to respond
