Ravichandran Ashwin steps in with CSK’s ‘ideal XI’ after injury to MS Dhoni
R Ashwin having a word with MS Dhoni during an IPL 2025 fixture (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 28 Mar 2026, 09:44 AM• Read time - 2 mins
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his "ideal" playing XI for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) following the announcement that MS Dhoni is set to miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026 as he continues to recover from a calf strain.
Ashwin feels CSK should let Gujarat's wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel bat at the No. 3 slot. Urvil hogged the limelight after scoring the fastest ton by an Indian in T20 cricket when he smashed an unbeaten 113 off just 35 balls against Tripura in a Syed Mushtaq Ali fixture in November 2024.
The former CSK spinner feels South Africa's hard-hitting batter Dewald Brevis should slot in at four, followed by allrounder Shivam Dube at five. The most intriguing facet of Ashwin's choice is that he feels that India's U19 World Cup-winning captain, Ayush Mhatre, might not be able to find a place in the XI straightaway, and there might be a toss-up between him and Sarfaraz Khan for the No. 6 position.
So!! This should be ideal.
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) March 28, 2026
Ruturaj
Samson
Urvil
Brevis
Dube
Sarfaraz/Ayush
Kartik Sharma
Akeal
Noor
Henry
Khaleel
Kamboj/Ghosh/Rahul/Gopal
After 2 weeks, there will be enough info available to tweak if needed.#6TL #Aarupadaiyappan
Ashwin wants Rajasthan's 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, Kartik Sharma, to bat at seven and don the finisher's hat. Kartik became the joint-most expensive uncapped player in IPL history after he was snaffled by CSK at the previous auction for INR 14.2 crore. In 12 T20s, Kartik has amassed 334 runs at a whopping strike rate of 162.92, laced with 16 fours and 28 maximums.
Ashwin feels that CSK's ideal XI should feature Afghanistan's left-arm wrist spinner, Noor Ahmed, and West Indies' slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Akeal Hosein. Hosein has made quite a name for himself in the shortest format and has a lethal arm ball. Matt Henry and Khaleel Ahmed round up Ashwin's XI.
Pacer Anshul Kamboj, seam-bowling allrounder Ramakrishna Ghosh, and leg-spinners Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Chahar could be the Impact Player options for CSK, per Ashwin.
