Chennai Super Kings spent a whooping Rs 14.20 crore for uncapped Indian star Prashant Veer in the IPL 2026 auction. Instead of breaking the bank for a superstar like Cameron Green, the five-time champions opted to chase lesser known talents, investing in youngsters with long-term goals in their mind. Following the IPL 2026 auction, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan explained why they spent so much on a lesser-known talent Veer.
Who is CSK’s new number 7?
In a video on Instagram, the CSK CEO claimed that Veer would play at number 7 in place of jadeja. The veteran al-rounder has been traded to RR , along with Sam Curran for Sanju Samson.
“Prashant Veer is a new player. You know that we traded Ravindra Jadeja with RR. So, we needed a number 7 who can bat, bowl and who is also a good fielder. Our talent scout team gave us a lot of feedback. Number 1 on the list was Veer. He also came for trials. When we had the trials in HPCA, we came to know about his talent,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath said.
Veer delivered a standout performance in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League (UPT20), having scored 320 runs from 10 games, averaging 64. He was even called for trials by CSK before the mini auction, which pretty much explains why the five-time champions were hell bent to get him in the IPL 2026 auction. The 20-year-old serves as a perfect replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, as he is a left-arm all-rounder.
“I’m happy to be joining Chennai Super Kings because MS Dhoni is there. The way he bats in the lower order, his mindset, the way he talks, how he controls his body and stays so focused — there is so much to learn from him. Batting in the lower order is not easy, but what he has done is special. Even if I can learn four or five percent from him, it will be very useful for me,” Veer said after he was sold to CSK.
CSK squad for IPL 2026
MS Dhoni (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), 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, Akeal Hosein✈️, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma (wk), Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes
