In Indian Premier League (IPL), teams can exchange players before the auction. This means that a team can give one player to another in exchange for a different player, money or both. These exchanges can only occur for an established time and must be approved by the player and the IPL Governing Council. The commercial window will remain open up to a month before the mini auction IPL 2026.

Chennai Super Kings could seek to make an exchange. Since it is not clear if MS Dhoni will play at IPL 2026 or be its last season, the team could start looking for someone who can take their place, mainly as a finalist in the last overs.

Satisfied Tewatia

One of the options that CSK can see is Rahul Tewatia, who is a tested ending at the IPL. In the last two or three seasons, its main role has been to enter, play fast cameos and finish games for Gujarat Titans. It can also hit a little more in order, although for GT it is generally gathed. CSK could benefit from having Rahul Tewatia on his team. His role in GT is also similar to those of Dhoni, which reaches the games of order and ending.

In return, GT could get a player like Sam Curran or Jamie Overton, since they need a fast SUV that can hit in the middle or lower order. Someone like Sam Curran would be useful for them, since their average order still lacks experience. If it is not a player trade per player, Tewatia could also be marketed by cash.

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Ashutosh Sharma

Another option could be Ashutosh Sharma, who has shown his talent in the last two seasons of IPL: in 2024 for Punjab Kings and in 2025 for Delhi Capitals. He is demonstrating to be a reliable ending in the tournament. He has shown that he can change the game of difficult situations, and this is the type of player that CSK may need as a Dhoni replacement.

Ashutosh is still young at age 26, and if CSK takes it, he can be a good long -term player for them. The exchange can occur with cash or exchanging a player. If it is an exchange of players, CSK can offer someone like Rachin Ravindra. Since FAF du plessis is 40 years old and Jake Fraser-McGurk has not been consistent, Rachin could be a good option at the top.

Marcus Stainis

Marcus Stainis could be a good option for CSK to try to trade with Punjab Kings. It did not go well in IPL 2025, scoring only 160 races in 13 games. For the kings of Punjab, he hit the order and did not face many balls.

This could be the right time for CSK to bring Marcus Stainis, either spending money or through an exchange of players. Since he retired from Cricket Odi, Stainis now focuses only on T20 matches. He still has some good years and can be a solid finishing for CSK. If it becomes an exchange of players, Punjab Kings could seek to get someone like Jamie Overton in return.

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