"He might be the highest-paid uncapped player in this auction" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's requirements in IPL 2026 auction

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) need to bolster their batting department at the IPL 2026 auction. He reckoned that Kartik Sharma could be a potential target for the Chennai-based franchise and predicted that the Rajasthan wicketkeeper-batter could be the costliest uncapped player in the auction.

CSK released 13 players, including Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, who were traded to the Rajasthan Royals (RR), ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. They have an available budget of ₹43.40 crore and can buy at most nine players, including four overseas.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener wasn't sure whether CSK would want to reacquire the in-form Deepak Hooda but named Kartik Sharma as a potential acquisition.

"The batting has been overhauled because Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda have been released. Hooda has set the stage on fire for Rajasthan. However, will the team look back towards him? I am not sure. Although it seems they don't need batting considering the form of the top six, I feel they need batting because they have also released Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra," Chopra said.

"I feel they will shop for batters. There is a boy named Kartik Sharma. He hits a lot of sixes. He can go to Kolkata as well as he is a wicketkeeper-batter and he can also come here. He won't keep. He is a Rajasthan boy. He might be the highest-paid uncapped player in this auction. He might go to them. There is a strong possibility," he added.

Aakash Chopra opined that the Chennai Super Kings would also need to acquire an overseas seamer at the IPL 2026 auction. He reasoned that the five-time champions would need a replacement for the released Matheesha Pathirana.

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"The spin department has become empty" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's other requirement in IPL 2026 auction

Ravindra Jadeja was one of the spinners released by CSK ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Chennai Super Kings would also need to acquire spinners at the IPL 2026 auction.

"They let Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) go and (Ravichandran) Ashwin had gone before that, which means the spin department has become empty. Only Noor Ahmad is left and along with him, Shreyas Gopal," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator named Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar as the spinners CSK could potentially target at the auction.

"So they will have to shop for spin and not a lot of spinners are going to be in the auction. I am thinking about Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar as two players. Apart from them, too many people aren't there," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra also opined that MS Dhoni might not play the entire IPL 2026 season. While observing that the former CSK skipper will likely start the tournament as the franchise's wicketkeeper-batter, the analyst reckoned that the wicketkeeping gloves might be passed on to Sanju Samson if Dhoni doesn't fire with the bat in the first few games.