India, Dec. 9 -- The Chennai Super Kings have rarely felt this exposed. The Dhoni aura still hangs over the franchise, but the squad sheet for IPL 2026 reads like a team between eras: Ruturaj Gaikwad is captain, Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel cover the gloves, Dewald Brevis is the young foreign bet, and yet the overall balance looks nothing like vintage CSK.

On paper, they have luxury - the second-biggest purse at the auction, INR 43.40 crore with nine slots to fill, four of them overseas - but that money has to replace Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Devon Conway, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Matheesha Pathirana in one cycle.

The retained core is batting heavy: Gaikwad, Samson, Dube, Brevis, Dhoni, and domestic batters like Ayush Mhatre and Urv...