With the start of the Indian Premier League 2026 just four days away, teams are already dealing with a growing list of injuries and player unavailability, making it difficult for them to finalise their best possible playing XI.
Spencer Johnson has been named as a replacement for Nathan Ellis in the Chennai Super Kings squad.Previously, Johnson represented Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans over the last two seasons, where he played nine matches and picked up just five wickets, with an economy rate of 10.39 in his overall IPL career.However, he hasn’t played competitive cricket since last year’s IPL, when he suffered a back injury and was ruled out of both the BBL and the 2026 T20 World Cup. He will now look to prove himself in the IPL with better numbers to gain attention from teams.
CSK will also need to reassess their combination, as another Australian player, Matthew Short also is likely to miss the start of IPL 2026 due to a fractured thumb and is expected to be unavailable for the early matches of the season.
From CSK’s point of view, the team is eager to begin their campaign on March 30 against the Rajasthan Royals at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Earlier, both teams were involved in key player trades, including Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving to RR in exchange for Sanju Samson.
In the absence of Ellis, Matt Henry, Jamie Overton and Khaleel Ahmed carry a huge responsibility to step up, bringing valuable experience especially Henry. Along with Spencer, they will now have to lead CSK’s pace attack and manage the bowling unit effectively.
CSK Squad – MS Dhoni(wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (traded in from RR), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma (wk), Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes, Spencer Johnson.