Report reveals CSK to release Sam Curran, Devon Conway and 3 other players ahead of IPL 2026

A turbulent year for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could soon lead to a major overhaul. According to a cricbuzz report, the five-time IPL champions are expected to release as many as five players ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Even before the end of the 50-match season, CSK became the first team from IPL 2025 to be eliminated. They managed to win only two of their first 10 matches, a low that CSK never saw coming.

List of CSK releases for IPL 2026

List reportedly includes England all-rounder Sam CurranNew Zealand opener Devon Conwayand Indian trio Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar And Rahul Tripthi. This development comes just months after CSK’s worst campaign in history, where they finished bottom of the IPL 2025 table with just four wins in 14 matches.

Despite the return of MS Dhoni as captain, the team never found its rhythm. The franchise’s aging strategy of relying on experienced players has backfired, with several senior names struggling for form and fitness. Due to the horrible forms of Tripathi, Shankar, Conwat and Hooda, CSK scored the least runs (693) with a tenth worst economy rate of 137.50 in the first six overs. Not to forget, CSK also lost 29 wickets in the process. That’s basically an average score of 49/2 every power play game.

In total, CSK batters scored 2315 runs in the entire tournament with an ordinary strike rate of 138.29which is also the lowest. The second worst is KKR with an SR of 143.20. This is even though CSK had to deal with the highest number of deliveries (1674) in the tournament (until Match 69).

Sources close to the team have indicated that management wants to “refresh” the squad with younger and more dynamic options. The franchise has already received a financial boost following Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL. Ashwin, who played seven matches last season, announced his retirement in August after finishing fifth in the league with 187 wickets in 221 matches. His release freed Rs 9.75 crore in the purse, giving the Super Kings valuable flexibility ahead of the mini-auction.

If the reported releases of Curran, Conway, Hooda, Tripathi and Shankar are confirmed before the November 15 retention deadline, CSK could add more Rs 25 crore in their purse. Curran, bought for a big sum in the 2023 auction, never really replicated his early IPL successes. Conway’s form, meanwhile, has dropped sharply since his injury in 2024, while domestic batters Tripathi and Hooda have endured forgettable seasons with the bat.