Five-time IPL champions, believe it or not—have not had the best run over the last two to three years. Chennai Super Kings have had an up-and-down journey after their IPL 2023 title win. Since then, in IPL 2024 and IPL 2025, things have not really gone as planned for the franchise.
This is also one of the reasons why CSK have started focusing more on young players and investing in fresh talent. However, the initial few matches of IPL 2026 did not go as expected under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership.
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Now, though, things seem to be slowly coming back on track over the last couple of matches. But the big question is—what’s next?
Right now, IPL 2026 is still ongoing, but what does the future look like for the Yellow Army?
Which players might be released by CSK ahead of IPL 2027? Although there is still time left, it is interesting to analyse and speculate which players may not continue with the franchise in the long run.
Let’s take a look at possible names who could be on the exit list as CSK plans for the next cycle.
CSK players who may not get retained ahead of IPL 2027
MS Dhoni
Maybe, or maybe not, what’s clear is that this situation looks highly interesting. There are strong chances that we may not see MS Dhoni in IPL 2027 again. Nothing is confirmed yet, but looking at all the scenarios, it will be very interesting to see what happens next.
For now, MS Dhoni is out due to injury, and there are reports suggesting we might see him back against Mumbai Indians on April 23. However, as per many reports, his participation remains uncertain in IPL 2027.
Talking about next year, the chances of him featuring in the IPL look extremely low. Coming down the order and contributing with the bat has become more limited, and it will be interesting to see how things unfold for this living legend.
So far, the maestro has played a total of 278 matches and scored 5,439 runs.
Rahul Chahar
Leg-spinner from Rajasthan, Rahul Chahar, who has a unique bowling style and relies more on variation in pace and length rather than sharp turn, has built his reputation as a skillful white-ball bowler who troubles batters by playing with their timing and patience.
He started his IPL journey in 2017 but truly rose to prominence after moving to Mumbai Indians in 2018. During his time with MI, he delivered some of his best performances and played an important role in the franchise’s title-winning campaigns in 2019 and 2020, taking 13 and 15 wickets respectively.
Rahul later moved to Punjab Kings in 2022, where he spent three seasons before joining the Sunrisers Hyderabad setup for IPL 2025. The 26-year-old, who has also represented India in limited-overs cricket, showed early promise but has struggled to maintain consistent form in recent seasons.
Across his IPL career, he has played 80 matches, bowled 1,694 balls, and taken 75 wickets at an average of 29.28 with an economy rate of 7.78. His best figures remain 4/27, along with one four-wicket haul.
In IPL 2026, he has played just one match so far, where he conceded 46 runs in 4 overs without taking a wicket. With performances fluctuating, his role in the team has come under scrutiny, and there is a possibility that he may not continue with CSK in the future if form does not improve.
Ayush Mhatre
The young sensation Ayush Mhatre, who guided India’s Under-19 team to a World Cup title, earned praise for his leadership and composure. However, his IPL performances have not quite matched the early hype. In 12 matches, he has scored 411 runs at an average of 34.25 while striking at 181.06, including three half-centuries and a best of 94. He has struck 46 fours and 22 sixes, showing his attacking intent, but he has struggled for consistency. As a result, the team management may be forced to consider some changes.
