"I have never seen such a pivot in IPL history" - Former KKR opener on CSK's acquisitions in IPL 2026 auction

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Aakash Chopra has noted that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) changed their philosophy drastically at the IPL 2026 auction. He highlighted that the five-time champions, who used to bank on experience, spent exorbitant sums to acquire two uncapped Indians.

CSK spent ₹41 crore to acquire nine players at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, who were bought for ₹14.20 crore apiece, were their most expensive picks at the mini auction.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that the Chennai Super Kings made a massive pivot at the IPL 2026 auction.

"Chennai have changed their philosophy. There used to be an era when they said they wanted only experience, that T20 is not a young man's game, and an experienced player's sport. They made a slight pivot last year. Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel and Dewald Brevis had come," Chopra said. (3:10) "This time they asked us to watch the sequel. They spent ₹14.20 crore on Kartik Sharma. They spent ₹14.20 crore on Prashant Veer. They spent ₹28.40 crore on two players. This is a huge pivot. I have never seen such a pivot in IPL history. They have changed the ideology and DNA," he added.

The Chennai Super Kings outbid the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the Mumbai Indians (MI), the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) to acquire Prashant Veer at the IPL 2026 auction. They outbid MI, LSG, KKR and SRH to buy Kartik Sharma.

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"I was very surprised" - Aakash Chopra on CSK not acquiring Ravi Bishnoi at the IPL 2026 auction

Ravi Bishnoi was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2026 auction. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that he was extremely surprised by the Chennai Super Kings' decision not to buy Ravi Bishnoi and not to show any interest in acquiring Venkatesh Iyer.

"Eventually, they took Rahul Chahar. They didn't take Ravi Bishnoi. I was very surprised. They didn't think about Venkatesh Iyer, and I was very surprised. They didn't think about Liam Livingstone, David Miller, or any other overseas lower-middle-order batter. I was slightly surprised by that as well," he said. (4:10)

To conclude, the cricketer-turned-commentator reiterated that CSK are now focusing on next-gen players.

"However, CSK's biggest story at this moment is how they have pivoted from experienced to youth. They have gone from Gen-Best to Gen-Next. They are focusing on 'Next' now," Chopra observed.

Rahul Chahar (₹5.20 crore) was the Chennai Super Kings' third-most expensive pick at the IPL 2026 auction. Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore), Matthew Short (₹1.50 crore), Aman Khan (₹40 lakh), Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh), Matt Henry (₹2 crore) and Zak Foulkes (₹75 lakh) were CSK's other purchases at the auction.

Edited by Kartik Iyer