CSK's hard reboot for IPL 2026: Jadeja, Pathirana leave, Samson comes in - all big moves explained

CSK have tried to press the hard reset for the IPL 2026. Was their strategy a hit or a miss? Here is a look.

Chennai Super Kings have finally done the one thing they spent a decade avoiding - they have torn at the heart of their own mythology. A wooden-spoon season in 2025, a trade that sends Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran away and brings in Sanju Samson, and a big loose purse for the mini-auction. What CSK have done is not the conservative, continuity-based CSK of old. This is a franchise admitting that their old template can’t simply be reheated for 2026.

MS Dhoni for CSK(PTI)

The question is no longer whether they needed change. It is whether they have changed in the right place. Through the twin lenses of Retention Value Score (RVS) and Release Risk Score (RRS) - CSK’s reset looks bold, emotional, and a little bit dangerous.

CSK IPL 2026 Snapshot

CSK snapshot for IPL 2026(HT)

CSK’s Hard reset

CSK come off their worst season ever, losing 10 games in 2025 and finishing at the bottom of the table - a new low for a side that once defined IPL consistency.

In response, they have traded Jadeja and Curran to the Rajasthan Royals for Sanju Samson, kept a surprisingly large chunk of their young core, and still walk into the auction with a hefty purse. The spine is now Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Noor Ahmad, a few Indian quicks, with MS Dhoni still overseeing the progress of the franchise.

Evaluating CSK’s new core

RVS of CSK Players for IPL 2026(HT)

Batting

Sanju Samson - RVS 8/10

Trading Jadeja and Sam Curran for Sanju Samson is brutal emotionally, but coldly logical from a batting lens. CSK desperately need a prime-age Indian top-order shot maker who can keep and contribute to the leadership core; Samson gives them all three in one cap. If he bats at 3 or 4 and owns Chepauk as his ground, this trade becomes the anchor point for CSK 2.0.

Ruturaj Gaikwad - RVS 9/10

Ruturaj Gaikwad missed the majority of the 2025 season due to injury; however, he still remains the best tempo setter and anchor for CSK and is also now their long-term captaincy bet. His value is tied to recalibrating his intent at the top; if he can set platforms for Samson and Dube, this retention will be more than a bargain.

Shivam Dube - RVS 8.5/10

CSK’s highest run-scorer in 2025, Shivam Dube, is still their most terrifying match-up weapon against spin. He gives them the left-hand balance, six-hitting, and psychological advantage at Chepauk. Even if his bowling never truly returns, the batting alone justifies his retention.

Ayush Mhatre - 8/10

You do not release an 18-19-year-old who has already shown he can play an IPL attack at high tempo. The sample for Ayush Mhatre is small, but in a league where Indian top-order talent is scarce, his upside at his current price makes this a high-value, low-risk retention.

MS Dhoni - RVS 7/10

Purely on batting and mobility, he is not a 7. But CSK are not really paying for that anymore. They are paying for MS Dhoni's brain, his aura at Chepauk, and his influence on a team trying to transition. As long as he plays a controlled cameo role and leaves the heavy lifting to Samson, Dube, and Brevis, the retention still works for them.

Urvil Patel - RVS 7/10

A competent back-up Indian keeper with hitting potential, but with Samson and Dhoni around, his path to playing XI looks difficult. His RVS sits in the insurance policy bracket.

Spin and all-round core

Noor Ahmad - RVS 9.5/10

The brightest spot for CSK in 2025; a high-ceiling left-arm wrist-spinner who takes wickets in the middle overs and suits Chepauk perfectly. In an era where elite spin is as scarce as express pace, Noor Ahmad is arguably their most valuable overseas retention.

Shreyas Gopal - 6.5/10

Not headline-grabbing, but in a squad that has just traded away Jadeja, a domestic leggie who can bat a bit, suddenly becomes structurally crucial. His ceiling is moderate, but his role value is significant.

Jamie Overton - RVS 6/10

As a hit-the-deck seamer who can swing the bat, Jamie Overton offers tactical flexibility - especially on truer away tracks. His records in IPL are still thin for a higher score, but for a 4th overseas slot, he looks like a good option to be explored during the season.

Pace attack and support

Khaleel Ahmed - RVS 7.5/10

Khaleel Ahmed’s left-arm angle in the power play is a genuine strategic edge. He brings that, plus a recent body of work that suggests he can still take new-ball wickets if used correctly.

Nathan Ellis - RVS 7/10

The Aussie pacer might not be as intimidating as Pathirana at the death, but Nathan Ellis is a proven, skilful T20 operator. At his price point, Ellis is a smart way of preserving death-overs' competence while freeing up budget elsewhere.

Gurjapneet Singh - 6/10, Mukesh Choudhary and Anshul Kamboj - 6.5/10

CSK are clearly betting that if they retain enough young Indian quicks with pace and bounce, two of them will hit at once. The portfolio logic bumps their collective RVS higher than their individual reputations.

What can come back to hurt CSK?

RRS of CSK Players for IPL 2026(HT)

Ravindra Jadeja - RRS 9.5/10

You just can’t replace Jadeja’s package - left-handed batting, high-control spin, freak fielding and big-game temperament. Sending him to a franchise that plays at Japipur’s big outfield and can weaponise his bowling feels particularly risky. If he has even two vintage seasons at RR, this will be like the moment CSK voluntarily gave away part of their soul.

Matheesha Pathirana - RRS 9/10

A specialist death bowler with a slingy, unique action and strong numbers in that phase is almost impossible to manufacture. If he stays fit and becomes a death overs cheat code elsewhere, Matheesha Pathirana will haunt CSK for years.

Devon Conway - RRS 6.5/10

A left-handed top-order anchor with a proven IPL record and good skill against spin remains valuable in any mini-auction. Devon Conway’s IPL record and skill set will keep a lot of teams interested in him; however, when it comes to his mismatch with the modern T20 standards of batting in the last season, this looks like a logical release.

Rachin Ravindra - RRS 6/10

CSK invested in the young talent from New Zealand, hoping to find their next Michael Hussey. However, in the two seasons that he played for the franchise, Rachin Ravindra failed to establish himself as a dependable hand at the top of the order. However, he might find form and become dangerous in a different franchise, especially one that has a batting-friendly track. But given his return to CSK in two seasons, this was a retention that was on the cards.

Sam Curran - RRS 6.5/10

His performance for CSK in the last season was mixed, which drags his RRS down. But Sam Curran’s ability to bat as a floater and bowl at different phases keeps him in the medium regret bucket - particularly if he finds a role clarity that CSK never completely unlocked.

Strategic discards

Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar - RRS 4/10

Useful, flexible Indian batters who could plug holes for other teams, but for CSK, they were negative investments in IPL 2025. The management has decided to back Mhatre and Brevis, suggesting a more aggressive brand of cricket.

Verdict: A brave reboot with very little safety net

Through the RVS lens, CSK strategy is coherent: lock in a younger Indian batting spine, keep your premier spinner, hoard Indian quicks and retain enough leadership in Dhoni to guide a Samson-Gaikwad era. There is a clear attempt to fast-forward out of the nostalgia bubble without blowing up everything at once.

But the RRS column is unforgiving. Releasing Jadeja and Pathirana in the same window strips them of two defining pillars: one of the best all-rounders in IPL history and one of the most distinctive death bowlers in today’s game. If they fail to nail a replacement all-rounder and a strong closing specialist with the ball in the mini-auction, this reset will look less like reinvention and more like self-sabotage.

Either way, CSK have finally stopped tiptoeing around the future. For the first time in years, their season will not be judged on sentiment, but on whether this gamble on Samson, youth, and a remixed bowling core can stand up to the league’s standards.