Ravichandran Ashwin, the retired Indian cricketer, has detailed the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) strategy for the IPL 2026 mini-auction, focusing on their intentions to rebuild after a forgetful last season. CSK have a hefty purse of INR 43.40 crore and should look to make the necessary adjustments, especially after overseas stars like Glenn Maxwell were shown the door.
Ravichandran Ashwin said the franchise would be looking at securing an Indian all-rounder, probably Venkatesh Iyer, as their priority during the auction, before moving on to signing a foreign all-rounder, with Australian T20 specialist Liam Livingstone named as a strong option.
“CSK’s first priority will be Venkatesh Iyer. They would have thought of Maxwell in the other slot. Now that he’s out, it’ll be Livingstone,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Iyer’s mega-auction price last season was INR 23.75 crore but he had an underwhelming IPL 2025 with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). And now, he will be a part of the upcoming auction at INR 2 crore. In the meantime, Livingstone, who was let go by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has found his mojo back in the International League T20 2025 and is likely to be one of the leading overseas candidates.
CSK Resets Strategy After Tough 2025 Season
CSK gained financial flexibility by releasing players like Matheesha Pathirana, while Ravichandran Ashwin’s exit from the IPL gave another INR 9 crore to their bankroll. Ashwin described Pathirana’s departure as a planned move, emphasizing that it was intended to free up finances to target marquee all-rounders at the auction.
“Most teams felt Andre Russell would be in the auction even before release. With that in mind, CSK wanted to pick Russell or Cameron Green. But they had no chance with 30 crores, and hence, Matheesha Pathirana looked like a very obvious release.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
The need for a complete rethink of strategy – as Ashwin emphasized – was squarely borne out by CSK’s abysmal 2025 season, one that will go down as among the most harrowing seasons in the franchise’s storied history. A few players stood out from the rest of the pack despite the collective struggle, with Shivam Dube emerging as the highest run-scorer and Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad heading the bowling charts with 24 wickets.
