Akash Madhwal close to joining CSK in IPL 2026: Report
Former Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal is likely to join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) soon, in the middle of the ongoing IPL 2026 season.
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Former Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal is likely to join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) soon, in the middle of the ongoing IPL 2026 season. Several media reports indicate that the Uttarakhand-born is the frontrunner to replace the injured pacer, Khaleel Ahmed.
CSK arranged trials to explore all the available options for the replacement of Ahmed. Ahmed was the leading pacer for the team, so it will not be an easy task for the management to name someone who can do the same.
Akash Madhwal spotted in CSK-arranged trials
As per reports, multiple bowlers attended the CSK-arranged trials; Madhwal was also there. Among all the candidates, the 32-year-old seems to have the highest chance of joining the Chennai Super Kings. An official announcement on the matter is expected to be made soon through a media release.
Chennai Super Kings’ next IPL 2026 fixture is scheduled on April 23 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. If things go according to the plans well, then CSK can announce the official replacement of Ahmed soon. As Khaleel Ahmed was the frontline pacer for the team, Madhwal can immediately be the starter for them with the white ball.
Akash Madhwal’s bowling stats in IPL:
|
Tournament |
Team(s) |
Mat |
Inns |
Balls |
Runs |
Wkts |
BBI |
Avg |
Econ |
SR |
|
Rajasthan Royals |
4 |
4 |
90 |
166 |
4 |
3/29 |
41.50 |
11.06 |
22.5 |
|
|
IPL 2024 |
Mumbai Indians |
5 |
5 |
109 |
205 |
5 |
3/20 |
41.00 |
11.28 |
21.8 |
|
IPL 2023 |
Mumbai Indians |
8 |
8 |
153 |
219 |
14 |
5/5 |
15.64 |
8.58 |
10.9 |
Why did Akash go unsold in the IPL 2026 auction?
After a sensational start in 2023, his performance dipped. He had a modest outing for the Rajasthan Royals in 2025 and did not perform well in domestic cricket. Because of inconsistent form with the Rajasthan Royals and in domestic cricket, the seamer went unsold in the auction ahead of IPL 2026.
Read More: IPL 2026: Former West Indies captain set to make debut for Mumbai Indians
Akash Madhwal’s bowling stats in domestic cricket with Uttarakhand:
|
Match |
Bowl |
Date |
Ground |
Format |
|
Uttarakhand vs Himachal |
0/6 |
24-Dec-2025 |
Jaipur |
List A |
|
Uttarakhand vs Delhi |
0/23 |
08-Dec-2025 |
Ahmedabad |
T20 |
|
Uttarakhand vs Tripura |
0/23 |
06-Dec-2025 |
Ahmedabad |
T20 |
|
Uttarakhand vs Rajasthan |
1/48 |
02-Dec-2025 |
Ahmedabad |
T20 |
|
Uttarakhand vs Tamil Nadu |
1/41 |
30-Nov-2025 |
Ahmedabad |
T20 |
|
Uttarakhand vs Saurashtra |
1/33 |
28-Nov-2025 |
Ahmedabad |
T20 |
|
Uttarakhand vs Karnataka |
0/38 |
26-Nov-2025 |
Ahmedabad |
T20 |
Meanwhile, the injury to Khaleel Ahmed is the fourth major blow for CSK in IPL 2026. Australian pacer Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the tournament because of an injury, MS Dhoni is still recovering from a calf strain, and South African batter Dewald Brevis missed the first few matches of the season because of fitness concerns.
CSK's current squad for IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Sarfaraz Khan, Noor Ahmad, Akeal Hosein, Gurjapneet Singh, Matt Henry, Jamie Overton, Matt Short, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Ramkrishna Ghosh, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, and Mukesh Choudhary.
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