Former cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath left out discarded Team India batter Sarfaraz Khan from his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) playing 12 for IPL 2026. The Men in Yellow were among the busiest teams in the recent IPL 2026 auction, boasting a purse of ₹43.40 crore.The five-time champions surprised the cricketing world by signing two uncapped players, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, for ₹14.2 crore each. They also finished the auction with a seemingly shrewd buy of Sarfaraz for ₹75 Lakh.While picking his playing 11 with the Impact Sub, Badrinath mentioned the pressure the two big signings will be under, playing in the lower middle-order."There was a necessity in the position between Dube and Dhoni. But it's unknown how Kartik Sharma will perform in that position. Because it's a very difficult role, batting at No. 5 or 6. There is high pressure in that role with a low chance of success unless you are really good," he said on Star Sports (4:08).He added:"Likewise for the batter that comes after Dhoni. So both these youngsters are going to be given high-pressure roles. It looks like a good 11, but a lot will hinge on how these two uncapped players perform. It's going to test them a lot, given the high pressure of their roles."Subramaniam Badrinath's CSK playing 12 for IPL 2026Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, MS Dhoni, Prashant Veer, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor AhmadIMP SUB: Rahul Chahar"Whether both play in the 11 will depend on the style of leadership" - S BadrinathSubramainam Badrinath believes Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma being part of the CSK's playing 11 will hinge on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's leadership style. The former CSK batter recalled how MS Dhoni, when captaining the side, selected players based on fit rather than their auction price."Whether both play in the 11 will depend on the style of leadership. Dhoni is no longer the captain. But in my experience knowing Dhoni, price doesn't warrant a place in the 11 for him. Whether you pick a player for 15 crore or 1 crore, if the player is good enough for a particular role, he'll play. But he won't play irrespective of the price if he doesn't fit in the scheme of things. This was Dhoni's leadership style," said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).He concluded:"But now with Ruturaj, his inputs will matter a lot on this. He's also a youngster so it remains to be seen what he does. Whether price guarantees a place, we don't know yet. But it wasn't necessarily the case with Dhoni. He was certain that irrespective of whether it's Ben Stokes or Andrew Flintoff or any big player, if that player didn't fit in his scheme of things, he wouldn't play."CSK have endured back-to-back dismal IPL campaigns after their title run in 2023. The Men in Yellow missed the playoffs in 2024 and finished at the bottom of the standings this year.