IPL 2026: CSK will have new opening combination, reveals captain Ruturaj Gaikwad
India Today
IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings have revealed their opening combination for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed that the team will be shaking up their batting order this season.
Chennai Super Kings are set to shake up their batting order in the Indian Premier League 2026, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed. Speaking on the sidelines of the IPL captains' day event, Gaikwad said that Ayush Mhatre will not be opening for the franchise this season.
Asked about the batting line-up, the CSK captain said that he will open the innings alongside newly signed Sanju Samson in the upcoming season. This marks a significant change for the five-time champions, who had trusted youngster Ayush Mhatre to provide rapid starts last season.
From the skipper himself ??@Ruutu1331 reveals CSK’s opening pair at #CaptainsDay ??#TATAIPL 2026 ?? Starts 28 Mar, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/xOhS4GOmUC— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 26, 2026
Chennai Super Kings went through multiple batting order changes in their horrific 2025 season. The eventually got rid of Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, and Deepak Hooda from their line-up and brought in fresh talents - youngsters Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis.
Both youngsters found incredible success in the team, providing the team some aggressive intent. While Brevis is expected to retain his position at No.4/5 this season, Mhatre might have to drop down to No.3 to accommodate senior batter and T20 World Cup 2026 hero Sanju Samson.
Earlier, former CSK player Ravichandran Ashwin had spoken about how he wanted to see the duo of Ruturaj and Sanju open the innings in IPL 2026.
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