3 players who can replace Khaleel Ahmed in CSK in IPL 2026 ft. Aakash Madhwal

Khaleel Ahmed, the CSK pacer who was slowly and steadily returning to some good form, has been ruled out following a quadriceps injury.

Khaleel, who has been in some promising form in the IPL 2026 despite CSK's early struggles with the ball, has been ruled out after facing discomfort during the match against the Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. He has not only been sidelined but also ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Khaleel's injury came at a time when the Super Kings were aiming to stabilize their campaign after a shaky start. The CSK managed two wins in their last two matches, and even the awful bowling attack has looked to be convincingly back in form.

3 players who could be picked as Khaleel Ahmed's replacement for CSK

Chetan Sakariya

As CSK would be looking for a like-for-like replacement within the XI, they would already have the choice for Mukul Choudhary, the known left-arm pacer who has formerly 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 stint 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 went unsold in the IPL mini-auction.

Sakaria is known to have a similar ability to that of the pacer Khaleel, who can swing the new ball and can also bowl some smart kinds of pace deliveries to trick the batter, thus making him a strong candidate for the role.

Simarjeet Singh

Simarjeet Singh is a familiar face in that dugout, as he has been part of the franchise during former seasons and was one of the released players ahead of the mini-auction. However, the pacer went unsold in the mini auction.

His name later came up when he was seen in the KKR nets for the trials to replace Harshit Rana in the season. However, Navdeep Saini was eventually picked, and he is still available to be picked by the Super Kings.

He has been noticed for his considerable pace and prior experience with the franchise. Though originally from the northern part of India, he is well aware of the conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Akash Madhwal

The name that has been highlighted the most in recent times with the Mumbai Indians since 2023 is that of pacer Akash Madhwal. The right-arm pacer has had a major role to play with the Indians and was noticed after the stunning figures of 5/5 in the eliminator of 2023.

Madhwal was sidelined and went unsold in this mini-auction following his poor stint with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, where he bowled at an awful economy of 11.07 throughout the season. Madhwal is one of the frontrunners as his replacement.

Known for a lethal pace and the ability to control the innings with slower deliveries and nail yorkers in the death, he will be an ideal replacement for Khaleel Ahmed in the Chennai Super Kings dugout.

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