3 minutes of readingUpdated: Mar 19, 2026 06:05 pm IST
With just over a week left in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Chennai Super Kings have been dealt a huge blow with Australian seamer Nathan Ellis ruled out of the tournament. The Indian Express understands that Ellis, who was supposed to be the leader of the pace group, suffered a hamstring injury and will not be able to recover in time, forcing the franchise to look for alternative options.
Ellis’ absence weakens what is already a low-pace group without much IPL experience. Having let go of Matheesha Pathirana, Chennai had pinned their hopes on Ellis as a reliable option for the death overs. Ellis’ absence means CSK will struggle to find a reliable replacement as he arrived with a defined role in this team.
Apart from Ellis, the other pace group in the team includes New Zealand’s Matt Henry, a seamer who recently had an excellent T20 World Cup, and Jamie Overton. The English all-rounder could now end up being an in-house solution as the other foreign seamer in the squad, Zak Foulkes, has no experience at his side. Even when it comes to local talent, CSK lack reliable options, and Khaleel Ahmed is the face of a young pace unit.
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Apart from the left-arm seamer, there is Anshul Kamboj, who had an impressive debut last season where CSK finished last on the table. Then there is Ramakrishna Ghosh, who did well with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. Beyond them are the two left-arm seamers, the highly-rated Gurjapneet Singh and Mukesh Choudhary.
As for replacements, it would be interesting to see who CSK turn to with all the big names already being sold in the player auctions. In Gerald Coetzee there is a pacer with IPL experience. And then there are people like Alzarri Joseph, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Spencer Johnson and Wiaan Mulder.
With his pace lacking and given the affected air routes, CSK are likely to finalize his replacement soon and bring in the player as soon as possible. CSK, who will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Rajasthan Royals in the first match on March 30 in Guwahati.
