"Suddenly you feel it's not Dhoni's but Ruturaj Gaikwad's team" - Aakash Chopra on CSK heading into IPL 2026

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) selections at the IPL 2026 auction were driven by Ruturaj Gaikwad and not MS Dhoni. He highlighted that the five-time champions have changed their focus totally from experience to youth heading into IPL 2026.

CSK spent ₹41 crore to acquire nine players at the IPL 2026 auction. They had traded in Sanju Samson for ₹18 crore from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and given Ravindra Jadeja (₹14 crore) and Sam Curran (₹2.40 crore) to the Jaipur-based franchise in return ahead of the auction.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener reckoned that Gaikwad, and not Dhoni, is controlling CSK's decisions heading into IPL 2026.

"A question comes to my mind. Whose team is it? You might be wondering why I asked this question. This used to be Dhoni's team. It doesn't look like Dhoni's team to me. If you ask me whether this is Dhoni's team, I would say no. When you see the pivot towards all youth, suddenly you feel it's not Dhoni's but Ruturaj Gaikwad's team," Chopra said. (4:30) "When Dhoni used to make the team, he used to keep a lot of experience with him. He used to back them to the hilt, but a pivot has happened here. This is the biggest philosophical and ideological pivot in this tournament's history, where Chennai has gone from experience to complete youth," he added.

Chopra highlighted that Prashant Veer isn't a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja and that the veteran spin-bowling all-rounder could have played for the Chennai-based franchise for a few more years.

"I also ask this question because you let Jadeja go for just ₹14 crore, and you have taken Prashant Veer. It doesn't look like a like-for-like replacement from anywhere. Jaddu would have still given you two more years. I get it that you wanted Sanju Samson, but Prashant Veer, is that an upgrade?" he observed.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Chennai Super Kings could have traded in Sanju Samson even after retaining Ravindra Jadeja if they were planning to release Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi and Vijay Shankar. He concluded that the boat has sailed and CSK are no longer MS Dhoni's team.

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"Their selection has been very interesting" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's potential playing combination heading into IPL 2026

CSK didn't acquire any big-ticket overseas players at the IPL 2026 auction. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Chennai Super Kings will likely field an Indian-heavy playing combination in IPL 2026.

"Their selection has been very interesting because when you try to make the XI, it seems like you can make an entire Indian team, and that you need just one or two overseas players. You have taken Matthew Short, but he is a top-order batter. There is no place in the top order. Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, and after that, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube, with Kartik Sharma in between," he said. (6:20)

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that CSK will potentially have only three overseas players in their playing 12.

"Your six are done, and after that, you will play Prashant Veer. You can keep Prashant Veer after Shivam Dube and before Dhoni. You see only one overseas in the top eight. After that, you can keep Noor Ahmad at No. 9, Khaleel Ahmed at No. 10, and then if you keep Nathan Ellis at No. 11 and keep the option of Anshul Kamboj (as the impact player), you are able to play only three overseas," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Chennai Super Kings will lack experience for the first time. He added that CSK don't seem to have four gun overseas players either, highlighting that they have plenty of questions to answer heading into IPL 2026.

Edited by Kartik Iyer