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Never Played in IPL, But CSK Show Interest In This T20 Mercenary Ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Sreejita Sen

Last updated: July 27, 2025

2 min read

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK), five-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), would be eager to make a strong comeback in the IPL 2026 after a bottom-place finish in the latest edition of the cash-rich league. Though CSK managed to cover up their opening woes towards the business end of the season, by replacing the Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra pair with youngsters like Ayush Mhatre and Shaik Rasheed, the team still lacks a formidable option at No.3.

CSK Might Eye This Player After Pre-Signing in SA20

The SA20 franchises have recently released their retention list ahead of the 2026 player auction. CSK’s sister franchise, Johannesburg Super Kings (JSK), have pre-signed the English batter alongside Akeal Hosein. The 34-year-old’s inclusion in the Super Kings squad increases his chances of donning the CSK Yellow in the upcoming IPL 2026.

As the owners usually prefer common players for their franchises across the tournaments, a smashing season for JSK might earn the batter his maiden IPL gig ahead of the next season. Moreover, Vince also leads the Southern Brave in The Hundred under the coaching of former New Zealand batter Stephen Fleming, who is also the head coach of the Super Kings franchise across IPL, SA20 and Major League Cricket (MLC).

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They may also be interested in bringing back Faf du Plessis and including Donovan Ferreira in their IPL 2026 squad, as the current Delhi Capitals (DC) duo already represents the franchise in the SA20 and MLC.

James Vince Could Be A Good Buy For CSK

Though the player is yet to make an appearance in the grand T20 league, he has already featured in several such tournaments around the world, including International League T20 (ILT20), Big Bash League (BBL), The Hundred and Pakistan Super League (PSL).

While coming in at No.3 for the Karachi Kings, the batter scored 378 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 148.23, to become the fifth-highest run-scorer of the PSL 2025. He also put up a stunning 101-run knock this season, which starred four sixes and 14 boundaries at a blazing strike rate of 234.88, to guide the team to a four-wicket victory against the Multan Sultans. Previously, he also scored 260 runs in 10 matches for the Gulf Giants in the latest edition.

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