The IPL auction is getting closer, and the tension is rising across teams. Every franchise is working on different strategies, deciding whom to retain and whom to release before the November 15 deadline. Amid all this activity, Chennai Super Kings are planning to correct a costly mistake from last season.
CSK spent ₹14.2 crore each on two young players, committing ₹28.4 crore to just two signings. That spending restricted their ability to strengthen other departments, leaving the squad without the balance it needed. The issue was the price they paid and how little money that left for other requirements.
After changes to their coaching setup, CSK are now reviewing those expensive contracts. The strategy is to release players, try to buy them back at lower prices and use the savings to build a stronger team.
CSK Plan to Release Prashant Veer and Buy Him Back
According to reports, Prashant Veer is the main player CSK are planning to release. However, the franchise still wants him and intends to pursue him again at the auction.
Veer’s IPL 2026 performances fell short of expectations. He scored 90 runs in six matches, with a highest score of 43. His batting did not deliver the attacking impact CSK needed from a ₹14.2 crore all-rounder.
Fitness concerns affected his bowling availability, and CSK made little use of him with the ball when he played. He bowled only two overs throughout the campaign and finished without a wicket.
His recent domestic performances, however, show why the franchise remains interested in him. Veer won the Most Valuable Player award in the UP T20 League 2026 for Noida Kings.
He scored 245 runs at an average of 40.83 and a strike rate of 161.18, including three half-centuries. With the ball, he claimed 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.79, with best figures of 3/17.
CSK’s reported thinking is to retain access to that all-round ability without carrying the same expensive contract.
Kartik Sharma May Follow the Same Route
Kartik Sharma was CSK’s other ₹14.2 crore signing. He had a more respectable IPL season, scoring 295 runs in 11 matches, with a highest score of 71 against Lucknow Super Giants.
It was not an exceptional return for that price, but his contribution gives CSK a stronger reason to retain him. His release is therefore less certain than Veer’s.
If Sharma is released, CSK’s intention is to buy him back too. The expectation behind the strategy is that even a determined effort to secure him again may cost less than his existing contract.
Savings Would Help Strengthen Other Departments
Buying back the pair for around ₹10 crore each would save CSK ₹8.4 crore compared with their current combined contracts. That is a possible auction outcome, with the final prices depending on competing bids.
Those savings would give CSK money to address the departments that received insufficient investment last time. Instead of committing so much of the budget to two players, the franchise would have greater flexibility to improve the squad around them.
Veer’s release-and-buyback plan is the clearer move in the reports. Sharma may follow the same route or be retained because of his better IPL contribution. If CSK secure their targets at reduced prices, this strategy would allow them to keep promising talent while correcting the spending that weakened their overall squad balance.
