Chennai Super Kings preparing for mini auction; Prashant Veer likely to be released

Significant changes are being prepared in Pakistani cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering including new players in the central contracts for the 2026-27 season, while some experienced players may lose their positions.

Pakistan's head coach across all formats, Mike Hesson, recommended providing contracts to young athletes. His list includes 13 players. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the experienced wicket-batsmen Mohammad Rizwan and Imam Ul Haq may be excluded from the central contracts.

According to a PTI report received from Karachi, a high-ranking source within the PCB stated that Hesson proposed the names of several young players for the upcoming season. These include Arafat Minhaj, Saad Beg, Hasan Nawaz, Akif Javed, Ali Raja, Ahsan Daniyal, Sufian Mukim, Maj Sadakat, Rajoola, Azan Awais, Imran Randava, Abdullah Fazal, and Gazi Gori.

According to the PCB source, the board is still deciding on retaining contracts with experienced players. However, this time some senior players might be excluded. The source specified that Mohammad Rizwan and Imam Ul Haq will not receive spots in the new central contracts.

On the other hand, it is expected that the contracts of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Sahibzada Farhan will remain valid. These three players lead Pakistan's teams in various formats. Additionally, contracts may be extended for Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Fahad Jama, and Saima Ayub. However, some of these players might have their contracts limited only to red or white ball cricket.

Mike Hesson places great emphasis on players' physical fitness, ability to implement the coach's tactics on the field, desire to improve their game, and behavior in the dressing room when forming central contracts. The source noted that Hesson aims to encourage young players who have demonstrated their potential and contributed to the team atmosphere by giving them good central contracts.

The old contracts expired on July 31st. The PCB has not yet announced the new central contracts for 2026-27. According to the board source, the delay is due to the evaluation of player performances. The PCB intends to decide which cricketers deserve new contracts after observing their play in current international and domestic tournaments.

Following a disappointing performance by Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025, where the team led by Shreyas Iyer failed to make the playoffs, the management and its co-owner Preeti Jinta are preparing for major changes before the IPL 2027 mini-auction.

According to available information, to optimize the budget and form a new squad, Punjab Kings may release five players who have performed poorly.

One such player is Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, whom the club acquired for a substantial 11 crore. However, in 26 matches, he managed to score only 376 runs and take 3 wickets. Since the team has an excellent alternative in Ajmuttaullah Omarzai, Stoinis's departure is considered almost inevitable.

There is also consideration of releasing Nehal Wadhera, who joined the team for 4.20 crore. His performance in IPL 2026 was extremely poor: in 8 matches, he scored only 65 runs, and as a result of his poor form, he was dropped from the starting lineup. Now the club intends to release him before the auction.

Furthermore, New Zealand fast bowler Loki Ferguson might leave the team. Due to injuries and personal reasons, he played only in 7 matches over two seasons, despite having a relatively high efficiency rating, taking only 6 wickets. The fragment indicates that the franchise may get rid of him to save its expensive bowling budget.

Indian young batter Mushir Khan, bought by Punjab for 30 lakhs, got a chance to play in only one match over the last two seasons. Mushir himself seems intent on leaving the team to try and find a spot at the auction.

Australian fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis was acquired for a significant sum of 4.40 crore, but in IPL 2026, he only got one match, in which he took just one wicket. Considering the presence of strong foreign bowlers like Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett, Punjab may decide to release Dwarshuis.

Before the start of the IPL 2027 season, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team has made significant changes to its squad, with decisions affecting not only the coaching staff but also the players themselves. The team's results last season were extremely unsatisfactory.

The new head coach, Zahir Khan, visited Mumbai after the first official meeting in Chennai. He intends to meet with former CSK captain MS Dhoni. This meeting will take place shortly before the registration deadline of November 15 and will determine the future direction of CSK.

One of the most discussed issues is the decision on whether to retain two young talents—Prashant Vir and Kartik Sharma. The franchise acquired both players during the last mega auction at a high price—14.20 crore rupees each.

Following the departure of Stephen Fleming and major changes in the coaching staff, all responsibility now lies with Zahir Khan. After incorporating new personnel such as former coach Gary Batty and Albi Murdoch into the staff, Zahir will discuss the player list with Tala in Mumbai.

This meeting is of great importance because Chennai, which failed to make the playoffs last season, has decided to conduct a serious overhaul of its main squad. The decision made by Dhoni and Zahir will influence who remains in the squad and whose spot will be vacated, including the evaluation of foreign players' performance and budget balancing.

The future of the young left-handed all-rounder Prashant Vir and the young player Kartik Sharma, who plays as a batsman and wicketkeeper, is being actively discussed. CSK acquired Prashant Vir, whose base price was only 30 lakh rupees, but he received a high bid of 14.20 crore rupees, making him the most expensive unrestricted player in IPL history. He is being considered as a successor to Ravindra Jadeja.

Kartik Sharma was also added to the Chennai team at a substantial price of 14.20 crore rupees.