“It doesn’t look like Dhoni’s team to me” - Ex-Indian cricketer slams CSK’s auction strategy

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has stated that the Chennai Super Kings have shifted their approach, moving away from MS Dhoni’s reliance on experience to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s youth-driven approach. 

Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, Chopra, who witnessed the recently concluded mini-auction, has stated that it looks more like Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team because of their youth-driven picks.

“This used to be Dhoni’s team. It doesn’t look like Dhoni’s team to me. When you see the pivot towards all youth, suddenly you feel it’s not Dhoni’s but Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Notably, CSK had spent a total of INR 41 crore to acquire the services of nine players at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Ahead of the mini-auction, CSK traded in Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals for ₹18 crore while releasing Ravindra Jadeja (₹14 crore) and Sam Curran (₹2.40 crore) to the Rajasthan Royals’ franchise. 

“Jaddu would have still given you two more years. I get it that you wanted Sanju Samson, but Prashant Veer, is that an upgrade?” Chopra questioned the franchise.

Furthermore, Chopra also observed that the Chenani-based franchise’s likely playing combination for IPL 2026 would heavily boast with the Indian players, and someone like Matthew Short might not get chances in the XI.

“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,” he noted.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) full squad for IPL 2026 season

MS Dhoni, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton*, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis*, Noor Ahmad*, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis*, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry*, Akeal Hosein*, Matthew Short*, Zak Foulkes*, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan.

*denotes overseas player.

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