IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings SWOT analysis

Following a dreadful 2025 campaign that saw them finish bottom of the points table, for the first time in their illustrious history the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have made some big changes — both in the middle of last season and at the auction table ahead of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Here, we present our SWOT analysis of the five-time IPL champions ahead of the 2026 season.

Strength

Batting — rather, more importantly, batting intent — was one of the primary reasons behind CSK’s collapse last year. Their tried-and-tested philosophy of backing experienced horses seemingly ran its course, and they were found out spectacularly.

The likes of Devon Conway, Deepak Hooda, and Vijay Shankar had horrible individual seasons, while their talisman and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad went down injured after five games and was ruled out for the entire season.

With their season already in tatters, the injection of youthful exuberance and aggression in Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis finally gave CSK the intent they were looking for, helping the management let go of their age-old philosophy and usher in a new, youth-backed, fearless approach. Moreover, the trade deal to bring in Sanju Samson for an ageing Ravindra Jadeja and an under-utilised Sam Curran has finally given them a strong core at the top of the order.

Both Samson and Gaikwad have shown in the past that they are capable of challenging for the Orange Cap, with both players consistently hitting the 500-run mark in previous seasons. Both of them have also been in great form recently, which bodes well for CSK fans.

Apart from these two, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube have also been in excellent form in international cricket over the last couple of months. While there are backups in place, such as Sarfaraz Khan and new INR 14-crore acquisition Kartik Sharma, both Dube and Brevis are bona fide match-winners and will have to be at their very best for CSK to succeed.

Last season’s find Ayush Mhatre had a breakthrough campaign, scoring 240 runs in seven innings while striking at nearly 190. The 18-year-old also had a brilliant campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) this season, scoring two centuries against Vidarbha and Andhra Pradesh while also leading his U19 Indian side to a sixth world title. With two experienced campaigners alongside him, Mhatre should have a fruitful first full season with the Super Kings.

Weakness

Despite having quality top and middle batting orders, there are several weaknesses in this current CSK squad.

For starters, they don’t have a bona fide finisher in Nos. 6 to 8. They’ve picked up Amethi-born left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Prashant Veer as a like-for-like replacement for the experienced Ravindra Jadeja, and while the 20-year-old is coming into this season on the back of brilliant performances both in the UPT20 League and the SMAT, hitting the ground running in his very first season in the IPL will be a different challenge altogether.

Looking at the current make-up of their squad, Jamie Overton and MS Dhoni should share the Nos. 7 and 8 responsibilities, but with Dewald Brevis, Nathan Ellis, and Noor Ahmad already considered indispensable, Overton’s game time may be shared with either Matt Henry or Akeal Hosein based on conditions, in which case youth recruit Kartik Sharma could also come in as an Impact Sub to lengthen the batting order. Thus, with so much uncertainty in these slots, finishing is definitely one weakness for the Super Kings heading into the 2026 season. 

Moreover, the conundrum regarding the final overseas slot also means that, unlike previous campaigns, CSK don’t have enough flexibility in their bowling department. It is quite evident that they don’t have enough new-ball bowlers; if they opt for both Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj to start, they cannot field a fourth overseas player, at least while fielding, but if they go for one of their experienced overseas Powerplay bowlers in Akeal Hosein or Matt Henry, then Jamie Overton would have to miss out, though they could bring in an Indian batter like Kartik Sharma or Sarfaraz Khan. 

However, that still limits them to just six bowling options, including both Prashant Veer and Shivam Dube, which may prove tough to manage, with pitches offering very little to bowlers based on last season. 

Opportunity

Both Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis were brought in to address CSK’s lacklustre showings, especially through the Powerplay and middle overs. And, to be fair to them, both had excellent first seasons with the franchise. Mhatre scored 240 runs at a strike rate of 190, while Brevis put up 225 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 180. 

Following the 2025 IPL season, Mhatre had a wonderful time with Mumbai in the domestic scene, with two centuries in this season’s SMAT to go with his consistent performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, meanwhile Brevis has become a mainstay in the South African setup and is currently considered one of the most fearsome batters in world cricket.

With the team also looking to build its core ahead of the 2028 mega-auction, both Mhatre and Brevis will want to build on their debut campaigns and make a claim for those five retention places. 

The upcoming season is also going to be a huge litmus test for another key individual in the CSK camp: Sanju Samson. 2025 was a season to forget for Samson, with recurring injuries and disagreements with the management reducing his game time to just nine matches. Now, in a new setup and with a skipper who has failed to deliver play-off qualification in two successive seasons, a standout campaign for Samson and another average season for Gaikwad may put the Kerala man in the reckoning for the captaincy, especially considering the CSK management’s long-time fascination with a skipper who also keeps wickets. 

Threat

The biggest threat for CSK heading into this campaign is their over-reliance on youth players. The likes of Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, and Kartik Sharma possess immense potential, but they also carry an element of risk due to their lack of experience at this stage. 

Mhatre, Brevis, and Ahmad fitted right into the CSK system last season, and all of them had excellent debut campaigns despite the Super Kings finishing at the foot of the table. Now, coming into their second season with the franchise, there will be an element of expectation and subsequent pressure on these three to produce similar — if not better — results. 

Veer, another guaranteed starter who made a name for himself playing for Noida Kings in the UPT20 League, where he scored 320 runs at a strike rate of 155 while batting at No. 7, carried this explosive momentum into the SMAT and did a decent job for Uttar Pradesh with the bat while picking up crucial wickets with the ball. However, whether the 20-year-old can deliver in his very first season in the IPL and replicate Ravindra Jadeja’s exploits remains a big question. 

Apart from their youngsters, CSK have a problem with their Indian fast-bowling contingent. Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj are the first names that come to mind, and both were ineffective and expensive for large parts of last season. Moreover, neither bowler is effective during the death overs, while their replacements aren’t too appealing either. 

Thus, despite a relatively strong batting line-up, and a young squad that can become a genuine threat in a few years’ time, the lack of flexibility in the lower order and bowling options, as well as the dearth of premium new-ball and death bowlers, means this could be yet another season where the Yellow Army fails to make the play-off places.  

Probable XII: Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Prashant Veer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jamie Overton, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Kartik Sharma/Rahul Chahar (Impact Sub)

Prediction: 7th