Who is Macneil Hadley Noronha? CSK sign UAE-raised Karnataka all-rounder ahead of LSG vs CSK IPL 2026

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK), whose Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign has been marred by a series of injuries, has signed the UAE-raised Karnataka all-rounder, Macneil Hadley Noronha, as a replacement for the injured Ramakrishna Ghosh for the remainder of the tournament. They got the approval from the governing council. 

Ghosh played his first game of the season against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk and was ruled out of the competition less than 24 hours later. The franchise has already lost Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis (pre-season) in the bowling department.

Who is Macneil Hadley Noronha? Karnataka All-Rounder's cricket career explained

Macneil, born on September 23, 2001, spent most of his childhood in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At the age of just 15, he faced a vital decision to make the choice of representing the UAE or pursuing a career in India. He was already a prodigy, scoring over 1700 runs in a year for his school and academy.

But a match-winning century in a zonal game in Bengaluru sealed his selection as they made a massive sacrifice. His mother relocated with him to Bengaluru while his father stayed back in Dubai to run the business.

The right-handed batter with skills of bowling off-spin, Noronha is a genuine all-rounder for his state side in domestic cricket, where he was part of the Gulbarga Mystics and Mangaluru Dragons in the Maharaja Trophy, and earned a call-up to Karnataka’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) squad.

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His breakout came in the 2024-25 Col CK Nayudu Trophy, where he topped the chart with the bat, having smashed 1037 runs in eight innings, thanks to two triple-centuries. In the last Maharaja Trophy, he slammed 253 runs at a strike rate of 148.82, including 19 sixes, and picked up 10 wickets with his off-spin.

Why CSK signed Noronha — Ghosh’s injury & CSK’s mounting injury crisis in IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings added the uncapped all-rounder as a replacement for Ghosh for the base price of INR 30 lakh. Ghosh fractured his foot on May 02 after picking up 1/24 in the only game played of the tournament.

The five-time champions have already struggled so far with injuries. Apart from Ghosh and others, they lost Ayush Mhatre after the away game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The only good thing for them is how the replacements have performed in the playing eleven.

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They missed Dewald Brevis for the first three clashes of the event, while there is no news on when MS Dhoni would make his comeback into the playing eleven, having not featured in a single game of the season.

Will Macneil Hadley Noronha play vs LSG? CSK squad update

It’s very unlikely that Noronha will find a place in the playing eleven for the game against the Lucknow Super Giants on May 15 at the Ekana Stadium. The management is expected to retain the same side that won the 204-run chase at Chepauk, unless any last-minute issues arise.

Updated CSK squad vs LSG match 59 Lucknow

Sanju Samson (wk.), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Shivam Dube, Akeal Hossein, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Madhwal, Matt Henry, Shreyas Gopal, Macneil Hadley Noronha, Shreyas Gopal, MS Dhoni, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Aman Khan, and Zakary Foulkes.