The Chennai Super Kings have struck with a major blow as Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 tournament due to a hamstring injury, and it is believed that he will not recover in time for the season, which begins on March 28.
The absence of Nathan Ellis could be problematic for the five-time champions as they are now with a thin pace department.
With Matheesha Pathirana released from CSK 2026 squad ahead of the auction, Chennai based franchise had pinned their hopes on Ellis as an option for death overs, and his absence could make the side search for a death over specialist.
Apart from Nathan Ellis, CSK’s pace department includes Zak Foulkes, England’s Jamie Overton and New Zealand’s Matt Henry, who had an impressive campaign in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026.
Matt Henry has been solid in the T20I format with 53 wickets in 43 games at an economy rate of 8.50. Despite being a quality player, he is not a death specialist, and his IPL records are underwhelming, having played for LSG in 2024, where he picked only one wicket in four games.
“It is a big blow for us. Ellis is a crucial bowler, especially in the death overs. We are looking at replacements,” said CSK CEO K.S. Viswanthan.
Considering other pace options, other than Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj, CSK has Ramakrishna Ghosh, along with Gurjapneet Singh and Mukesh Choudhary, who do not have much experience in handling high pressure tournament.
They will consider players like Alzarri Joseph, Gerald Coetzee, Richard Gleeson, Riley Meredith and Ottneil Baartman as replacements.
Meanwhile, the overseas players like Dewald Brevis, Matt Henry, Zak Foulkes and Matt Short are set to join pre-season camp, while Akeal Hosein will be joining on the 25th.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has arrived in the city on March 19 to join the pre-season camp.
CSK is likely to finalise their replacement soon as Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings will take on Rajasthan Royals on March 30 at Guwahati.
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