Akash Madhwal frontrunner to join CSK squad as injured Khaleel Ahmed's replacement

Former Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal has emerged as the frontrunner to join the Chennai Super Kings squad midway into the ongoing 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The fast bowler from Uttarakhand was recently spotted in the net session of the Chennai-based team in Hyderabad, ahead of their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, April 18.

Apart from Madhwal, a few other pacers have also reported to the CSK camp as a replacement for the departed Khaleel. However, Madhwal has emerged as the first-choice pick for the five-time champions, according to reports. An official announcement on the matter is expected to be made soon through a media release. 

If in, Madhwal may be pulled in straight into the playing XI as the frontline pacer, likely to open the attack with the ball for Chennai. While chances are bleak that Madhwal will be featuring in the game against SRH, he may be slotted into the squad before the match against MI, the franchise for which he made his IPL debut in 2023. He also played for Rajasthan Royals. He was unsold in the 2026 mini-auction, though.

For the unversed, this is the fourth injury concern CSK have had in this IPL season already. They already lost Nathan Ellis even before the start of the season, and he was later replaced by Spencer Johnson. MS Dhoni, the legendary cricketer, is suffering from a calf strain and is yet to feature in a game. Dewald Brevis, too, missed the first few games, and Khaleel was the latest to rule himself out of the marquee T20 event.

CSK's current squad for IPL 2026

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Sarfaraz Khan, Noor Ahmad, Akeal Hosein, Gurjapneet Singh, Matt Henry, Jamie Overton, Matt Short, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Ramkrishna Ghosh, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, and Mukesh Choudhary