“Cameron Green is a no” – Legendary spinner makes huge claim ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has made a huge claim that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will not target Cameron Green at the IPL 2026 auction. The legendary spinner explained why the Australian all-rounder doesn’t fit in the scheme of things for the five-time IPL champions.

Ashwin, however, wants the Chennai-based franchise to stretch Green’s price as high as possible. He added that the Super Kings might instead aim to get seasoned all-rounder Andre Russell, whom the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released ahead of the mini-auction.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said:

“CSK have two slots to fill, a spinner and a finisher. In this particular setup, Cameron Green is a no. There is a lot of talk that CSK should go for Green and bring him in. Firstly, CSK will not get Cameron Green, and secondly, in this line-up, he will not sit well. He is not a finisher. He will have to play after Mhatre, Ruturaj, Brevis, Dube, and maybe even Dhoni. The ideal batter to come and finish the innings is Andre Russell. I have seen the CSK analyst put up Dre Russ, so I think they will go for him.”

The former all-rounder warned that the Super Kings will have to break the bank if they want one of the two all-rounders. He further expressed optimism that CSK might rebuy Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, adding that they can’t push for another experienced all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell. The cricketer-turned-analyst continued:

“CSK don't need Green as desperately as KKR need. But CSK also have the responsibility of pushing Green's price. If CSK don't stretch KKR to over 20 crore for Green, then they will again come back for Russell. Then CSK will not get both of them. CSK have to break their bank on one player. It will be nice if they try to get Pathirana back. If they had let go of Overton, they could have pushed for Maxwell.”

With INR 43.40 crore, the Super Kings have the second-highest purse ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They are only behind the Knight Riders, who have INR 64.30 in their bank.

“Dhoni could just play as an impact player” – Ravichandran Ashwin’s massive prediction ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Ravichandran Ashwin believes that MS Dhoni might play as an impact player because Sanju Samson is available for wicketkeeping duties in IPL 2026. He, however, urged the 44-year-old to bat since they don’t have enough finishers, subject to their additions at IPL 2026 auctions.

Ashwin said in the same interaction:

“If MS Dhoni does not want to play, this release list would have indicated that. The fact that Jadeja is gone, and they already don't have power finishers, it tells us that MS Dhoni will continue. Also, because Sanju can keep wickets, it is a very good possibility that Dhoni could just play as an impact player. Only he can tell whether there is enough petrol left in his tank, but the fact that the release list does not have his name, is as good as a confirmation that he will play the season.”

CSK retained players list: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary.

Edited by James Kuanal