Aakash Chopra, one of the most popular cricket analysts, has opined that Chennai Super Kings’ auction preferences in the mini-auction 2026 were largely driven by Ruturaj Gaikwad and not by former captain MS Dhoni, as the team showed a clear transition from experienced players to young guns.
Chennai Super Kings, the five-time IPL winning champions, have failed to impress with their performance over the last two seasons. They had their worst season in IPL 2025, where CSK finished last in the points table. However, the only positive for the Super Kings was a bunch of young cricketing talents.
The team, which has largely been known for backing experience over anything, has now moved on from their previous strategy and has looked to shift their focus to younger players. This change of mind was evident in the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
“Suddenly, you feel it’s not MS Dhoni’s but Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team,” opined Aakash Chopra
The Chennai Super Kings had the second-highest purse in the mini-auction, and despite that, they did not go all-out for several big names in the game. Instead, they opted for the younger uncapped cricketers. Amazed by the developments, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra reckoned that Ruturaj Gaikwad has seemingly exercised control over CSK’s decisions.
The cricket analyst felt that this team never looked like Dhoni’s team. Dhoni’s team had much more experience, but now they have seemingly gone past that phase and have changed their ideological pivot.
“A question comes to my mind. Whose team is it? You might be wondering why I asked this question. This used to be Dhoni’s team. It doesn’t look like MS Dhoni’s team to me. If you ask me whether this is Dhoni’s team, I would say no. When you see the pivot towards all youth, suddenly you feel it’s not MS Dhoni’s but Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team,” Chopra said.
“When MS Dhoni used to make the team, he used to keep a lot of experience with him. He used to back them to the hilt, but a pivot has happened here. This is the biggest philosophical and ideological pivot in this tournament’s history, where Chennai has gone from experience to complete youth,” he added.
“Jaddu would have still given you two more years,” noted Aakash Chopra
Next, Aakash Chopra complained about CSK moving on from Ravindra Jadeja way too quickly, as the veteran Indian all-rounder could have come in handy for a few more years. He also said that, in his opinion, the youngster Prashant Veer is not a like-for-like replacement for him.
“I also ask this question because you let Jadeja go for just ₹14 crore, and you have taken Prashant Veer. It doesn’t look like a like-for-like replacement from anywhere. Jaddu would have still given you two more years. I get it that you wanted Sanju Samson, but Prashant Veer, is that an upgrade?” he observed.
Chopra felt that CSK could have had their hands on Sanju Samson after retaining Ravindra Jadeja, had they already made up their mind to release the likes of Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, and Rahul Tripathi.
Aakash Chopra picks an interesting playing XI for CSK
In Aakash Chopra’s opinion, the MS Dhoni side will largely comprise Indian players this IPL. “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.
The top order is already loaded with Indian players: skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, the newly traded-in wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson, and some breathtaking youngsters in Urvil Patel and Ayush Mhatre.
The middle order might combine Indian and overseas players, with Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, and Kartik Sharma being the big-hitting options for CSK. Chopra opined to keep Prashant Veer before MS Dhoni in the batting order.
Noor Ahmad and Khaleel Ahmed will be the two pacers in the side. Chopra voted for Nathan Ellis in the team after CSK parted ways with Matheesha Pathirana. Even in their impact player role, CSK are heavily loaded with Indian options, with Anshul Kamboj and Rahul Chahar being the biggest contenders.