IPL 2026: Predicted Indian and overseas targets for CSK in Auction, remaining purse and more

Ahead of the next edition of IPL, a mini auction is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16. On November 15, all 10 franchises announced their released and retained players. Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also released 10 players from its squad and traded two players. The Yellow Army finally welcomed Sanju Samson, whom they signed after trading in Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran with the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Samson has been roped in for the same salary that he used to get from RR, which is Rs 18 crore.

After the IPL Retention 2026 was concluded, CSK is left with Rs 43.4 crore in its purse, which is the second highest after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which has Rs 64.3 crore in its kitty.

How many players can CSK buy in IPL 2026 mini auction?

In the cash-rich tournament, every team needs to have a maximum of 25 players, which includes a maximum of eight overseas players. Currently, CSK have 16 players in its squad and nine slots available, within which they can sign only five Indian and four overseas players.

CSK's current squad

MS Dhoni

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Sanju Samson (after trade)

Ayush Mhatre

Dewald Brevis

Urvil Patel

Anshul Kamboj

Gurjapaneet Singh

Jamie Overton

Mukesh Choudhary

Nathan Ellis

Shreyas Gopal

Khaleel Ahmed

Noor Ahmad

Ramakrishna Ghosh

Shivam Dubey

CSK's possible target players in IPL 2026 Auction

Quinton de Kock

Faf du Plessis

Gerald Coetzee

Venkates Iyer

Reece Topley

Matheesha Pathirana