“CSK missed a trick by not getting Mustafizur” - Former India captain’s huge statement after IPL 2026 auction

Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth believes the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should have gone all-out for left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the IPL 2026 auction. Having made two massive buys with Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma at ₹14.2 crore each, CSK could not bid past ₹9 crore with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a bidding war.

KKR eventually landed the Bangladesh pacer for ₹9.20 crore in addition to their acquisition of Matheesha Pathirana earlier in the auction. Both death specialists were recently part of the CSK setup before being released by the franchise ahead of the previous two auctions.

Talking about CSK's auction moves on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said (4:28):

"CSK missed a trick by not getting Mustafizur. Once they decided to let go of Pathirana, they should have gone all out for Mustafizur. Even if he went for 12 or 15 crores, they should have signed him. CSK desperately needs a bowler like him. They don't have a death bowler like that."

Despite Veer and Kartik Sharma being their two biggest buys at the auction, Srikkanth believes only one of them will find a place in the playing 11.

"Only one of Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer can play in the 11. I still believe Akeal Hosein should be in the 11. He's a very good pick because, like Ravindra Jadeja, he bowls very well. You can't just rely on Noor Ahmad, so you need Akeal Hosein. We don't know how Prashant Veer will bowl," he stated.

CSK added as many as nine players in the auction but were still left with ₹2.40 crore at the end of the event.

"Rahul Chahar is one good pick" - Kris Srikkanth

Kris Srikkanth believes discarded Team India spinner Rahul Chahar was a solid buy for CSK at the IPL 2026 auction. The 26-year-old played only one game for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the last IPL season.

However, CSK went up to ₹5.20 crore for Chahar to beef up their spin-bowling department with the loss of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the off-season.

"It's clear they are trending towards youth. But Rahul Chahar is one good pick. He is a proven commodity and has been a good bowler in the IPL. He has always done well. Some people mentioned attitude issues with him, but I don't know about all that. But he's not a bad bowler, especially in Chennai conditions. He won Punjab a match against CSK in Chennai," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"If both Noor Ahmad and Rahul Chahar get into the right rhythm, the opposition will be in trouble. I would even go with three spinners, Noor, Chahar, and Akeal, and not play Anshul Kamboj in the 11. Keep Dube as your third seamer."

Despite the down 2025 season, Chahar boasts excellent overall IPL numbers, picking up 75 wickets at an average of under 29 and an economy of 7.72.

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran