Khaleel Ahmed, the CSK player who was slowly regaining his good form, has been ruled out after a quadriceps injury.
Khaleel, who has been in promising form in IPL 2026 despite CSK’s early problems with the ball, has been ruled out after suffering discomfort during the match against Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Not only has he been out but he will also be ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Khaleel’s injury came at a time when the Super Kings were looking to stabilize their campaign after a shaky start. CSK have managed two wins in their last two matches, and even the dreadful bowling attack seems to have convincingly returned to form.
3 players who could be chosen as Khaleel Ahmed’s replacement for CSK
Chetan Sakariya
As CSK would be looking for a similar replacement within the XI, they would already have the option of picking Mukul Choudhary, the well-known left-arm pacer who previously represented CSK in the IPL. However, they would also need a backup for the rest of the long season.
The left-arm pacer, who started his career with a wonderful season in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals, struggled due to injuries but had a good season in domestic cricket. He picked 12 wickets in 7 games, but they went unsold in the IPL mini-auction.
Sakaria is known to have similar ability to pacer Khaleel, who can swing with the new ball and can also bowl some smart types of pace to deceive the batsman, making him a strong candidate for the role.
Simarjeet Singh
Simarjeet Singh is a familiar face in that dugout, having been a part of the franchise for previous seasons and was one of the players released before the mini-auction. However, the pacemaker was not sold in the mini auction.
His name later emerged when he was spotted in the KKR nets during trials to replace Harshit Rana in the season. However, Navdeep Saini was finally picked and is still available to be picked by the Super Kings.
He has stood out for his considerable pace and previous experience with the franchise. Although he is originally from North India, he knows the conditions of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai very well.
akash madhwal
The name that has stood out the most in recent times for Mumbai Indians since 2023 is pacer Akash Madhwal. The right-arm pacer has had an important role to play for the Indians and came into limelight after impressive figures of 5/5 in the 2023 playoffs.
Madhwal was sidelined and unsold in this mini-auction after his poor season for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, where he played with a terrible economy of 11.07 throughout the season. Madhwal is one of the favorites to replace him.
Known for lethal pace and the ability to control the innings with slower deliveries and catch yorkers at the death, he will be an ideal replacement for Khaleel Ahmed in the Chennai Super Kings dugout.
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