5 Players CSK might release ahead of IPL 2026 auction

CSK had a miserable season this year and has a lot of work on before the next season. They face a small but uncomfortable decision ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, which is to keep a bloated, expensive core that hasn’t really delivered in 2025, or clear space to rebuild. Here are five players who look most likely to be released and why each makes sense as a cut. 

1. Devon Conway

Conway remains an elite white-ball batter who can anchor an innings. He produced useful scores for CSK in patches (including a half-century in their late-season win). But Conway is also one of the club’s highest earners, and CSK already have multiple overseas top-order options. 

When a team must juggle the four-overseas limit, an expensive foreign opener who isn’t always available (international commitments/rotations) becomes an obvious candidate to free salary and an overseas slot. CSK now have younger and more attacking openers than his style of play, which has actually been the need of the hour for the team, so this decision makes a lot of sense.

2. Rachin Ravindra

Ravindra entered the IPL with genuine hype after flashes of power and useful off-spin, but his 2025 campaign rarely translated that promise into consistent impact. The IPL’s powerplay environment punished CSK early several times, and Ravindra, an overseas allrounder who occupies a top-order slot, adds selection strain under the four-overseas rule. 

If CSK want a more reliable powerplay option or an extra overseas bowler, Ravindra’s combination of modest IPL returns and overseas status makes him a release candidate. (He remains a strong international prospect, which increases his resale value at auction.)

3. Deepak Hooda

Hooda was brought in as a flexible middle-order batter who can also bowl off-spin. That profile is useful, but CSK’s middle order struggled for consistency in 2025, and Hooda didn’t stand out enough to justify his auction cost relative to other all-round options. 

When a squad has several all-rounders (Jadeja, Curran, Dube, Hooda), trimming becomes necessary to balance the payroll and to create room for specialist bowlers, an area CSK looked short in at times. Releasing Hooda would be a straightforward way to free a mid-price purse for targeted buys.

4. Rahul Tripathi

Tripathi is a genuine T20 hitter with a long record in the IPL, but 2025 exposed how streaky he can be: excellent in patches, anonymous in others. He occupies the same middle/top-order role as a few other CSK batters, so maintaining him reduces options when trying to reshuffle the lineup. 

If CSK plan to back younger domestic talent or buy a specialist overseas batter with a better recent strike-rate, Tripathi’s experience is valuable but not indispensable. Cutting him could pay off if the team invests in higher-impact, role-specific players.

5. Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar is a safe and versatile all-round option who has served CSK and other franchises well, but he doesn’t bring the consistent X-factor that keeps a squad spot when budgets are tight. 

CSK’s middle-order already features multi-dimensional players, and releasing Shankar would create room for a specialist seamer or a younger allrounder with a higher upside. Given his IPL history and the squad’s needs, letting him go is a logical, low-risk move.

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