Former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth has laid out his wishlist for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, scheduled to take place in three days. Batting wise, CSK are already fine but Srikkanth feels they should look to buy spin-bowling all-rounders after the retirement of R Ashwin and trade of Ravindra Jadeja to the Rajasthan Royals from this auction.
Srikkanth notably mentioned New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Bracewell, who has performed admirably in white-ball cricket for the Kiwis this year. CSK, which finished last in the IPL 2025 points standings, will strive to bolster their squad for the future season.
“CSK already has a gun lineup of 4 with Gaikwad, Samson, Aayush Mhatre, and Urvil Patel. So they won’t be too worried about their batting. If I were in the CSK management, I would go for a guy like Michael Bracewell. Everyone is underestimating him. He has scored a brilliant century against India in Hyderabad. He can bowl good off-spin and is a left-hander who can tonk the ball. He is a good finisher,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“Not many are talking about Michael Bracewell. Everyone keeps saying Livingstone, but the truth is, if Bracewell is encouraged, he’ll do well. It is where someone like Dhoni can groom him into a fantastic all-rounder,” he added.
Srikkanth also urged CSK not to buy for India’s leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi or South African veteran David Miller, despite their high market value at the auction.
“I’ll definitely not buy Ravi Bishnoi. With him, there is no scope. They already have Shreyas Gopal. He’s a good bowler. Also, it’s been ages since David Miller scored. And playing on the Chennai surface for half the matches, it’ll not suit him. Instead of Miller, I’d rather pick Bracewell, who’ll also give a few overs with the ball,” said Srikkanth.
“I’ll try to pick both [Liam] Livingstone and Bracewell. You’ll get both within 10 crores. That will solve the spot below Dube. CSK definitely need an all-rounder to fill the Jadeja hole, which semi all-rounders like Livingstone and Bracewell will give. I’ll also surely try to get someone like Cooper Connolly. He’s a youngster and an all-format player, who’s also a left-hander. He’ll surely go to CSK this time as they can buy him for just 2 or 3 crores,” he added.
