Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) selections at the IPL 2026 auction were driven by Ruturaj Gaikwad and not MS Dhoni as well. He also shared that CSK have changed their focus totally from experience to youth heading into IPL 2026 as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “A question comes to my mind. Whose team is it? You might be wondering why I asked this question. This used to be Dhoni’s team. It doesn’t look like Dhoni’s team to me. If you ask me whether this is Dhoni’s team, I would say no. When you see the pivot towards all youth, suddenly you feel it’s not Dhoni’s but Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team.”

“When Dhoni used to make the team, he used to keep a lot of experience with him. He used to back them to the hilt, but a pivot has happened here. This is the biggest philosophical and ideological pivot in this tournament’s history, where Chennai has gone from experience to complete youth. I also ask this question because you let Jadeja go for just ₹14 crore, and you have taken Prashant Veer. It doesn’t look like a like-for-like replacement from anywhere. Jaddu would have still given you two more years. I get it that you wanted Sanju Samson, but Prashant Veer, is that an upgrade?” he again shared.

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However, Aakash Chopra also stated that the Chennai Super Kings will likely field an Indian-heavy playing combination in IPL 2026 as well.

“Their selection has been very interesting because when you try to make the XI, it seems like you can make an entire Indian team, and that you need just one or two overseas players. You have taken Matthew Short, but he is a top-order batter. There is no place in the top order. Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, and after that, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube, with Kartik Sharma in between,” he said.

“Your six are done, and after that, you will play Prashant Veer. You can keep Prashant Veer after Shivam Dube and before Dhoni. You see only one overseas in the top eight. After that, you can keep Noor Ahmad at No. 9, Khaleel Ahmed at No. 10, and then if you keep Nathan Ellis at No. 11 and keep the option of Anshul Kamboj (as the impact player), you are able to play only three overseas,” Aakash Chopra concluded.