As excited as the fans of Chennai Super Kings were about the IPL 2026 season, now they seem to be equally disappointed. The entry of Sanju Samson and some new players has raised expectations from this season but even before the start of the tournament, the team is facing setbacks. Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis is completely out of the IPL 2026 season due to injury, due to which the team’s bowling seems to be weak. Now the injury of another Australian star has become a cause of trouble for CSK.
A Cricbuzz report states that Chennai Super Kings Australian all-rounder Matthew Short is suffering from a thumb injury and has not been able to recover from it yet. Due to this, he will not be available for the initial matches of the tournament. This tall explosive batsman and part-time spinner got injured a few days ago while playing in the domestic tournament of Australia, due to which he will not be able to play some matches for Chennai.
CSK had bid in the auction
Matthew Short is among the 9 players who were bought by CSK in the auction last year. The Australian star was bought by Chennai for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore only. Before this, he had played 6 matches for Punjab Kings in IPL 2023. Short is among several Australian players to be ruled out of the tournament or miss the start of the season. Apart from them, Ellis and Jack Edwards (SRH) are completely out, while fast bowlers like Pat Cummins (SRH), Josh Hazlewood (RCB) and Mitchell Starc (DC) are also not available for some matches. These three are also struggling with fitness.
KKR is also in trouble
Not only CSK, Kolkata Knight Riders are also struggling with injuries to their bowlers. The franchise had already released Mustafizur Rahman out of compulsion. Harshit Rana was also out of the tournament due to injury. On the other hand, there is doubt regarding the play of Sri Lankan pacer Matisha Patirana. He has not yet passed his fitness test, due to which he has not received NoC from Sri Lanka Cricket.