Since his debut during the ACC Asia Cup 2018, the bowler has played only 11 ODIs and 18 T20Is for India so far.
Star Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Khaleel Ahmed has shown an exceptional consistency in his performances in the latest few Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. Since his debut during the ACC Asia Cup 2018, the bowler has played only 11 ODIs and 18 T20Is for India so far. After battling several injury woes and lean patches of form, the 27-year-old is now eager to don the Indian jersey once again.
“I want to be at the international level. This is my focus right now. As a fast bowler, I am feeling a lot more mature. I have to serve the country. It’s very easy for people to forget performances in the IPL, but what you do for the country remains with them for a lifetime,” he stated to ESPN Cricinfo.
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The pacer’s latest appearance for India was a brief T20I tour of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in 2024, where he bagged three wickets in four fixtures. Previously, he missed almost an entire domestic season in 2022-23 due to hernia surgery. However, since being back in action, Khaleel has put up some impressive performances across tournaments in recent times.
“Every fast bowler knows what it feels like bowling at 140kph. I’m getting that feeling as well, and I’m enjoying it. I have also tried not to miss a game for the last two or three years. So now I have that confidence in my body. It feels so good for a fast bowler if he is continuously playing. For me, how I have been managing my body is a big achievement,” said Khaleel.
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The CSK seamer also discussed how his recent stint with Essex helped him to pick up the wobble-seam delivery. Notably, he scalped three wickets in two matches in the County Championship 2025 at an economy rate of 4.72.
“I also tried to learn some skills – like how to swing the ball late. We were using the Kookaburra ball in England this season, although, generally, it is the Dukes which is used. The ball stopped swinging after 10-15 overs, and the wicket was flat. So I had to learn bowling the wobble-seam ball, and how to extract a wicket with it,” he added.
The bowler has had three successful seasons in the last four IPL editions. Following his stunning performance for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2022 and 2024, where he bagged 16 and 17 wickets in 10 and 14 matches, respectively, Khaleel also put up a strong show in the IPL 2025. Before the latest season, the five-time IPL champions had acquired the bowler for INR 4.80 crore.
The 27-year-old also continued this brilliant run of form for his new franchise, CSK. Khaleel snared 15 wickets in 14 league-stage fixtures of this season at an economy of 9.58. But the Men in Yellow had an abysmal season as they managed only four wins in the entire tournament and finished their campaign at the bottom of the points table.
The CSK management would look to rebuild their squad ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 in a bid to bring back their dominance in the domestic T20 tournament. The team might look for some major changes in the IPL 2026 auction and might not retain the player despite his noteworthy stats.
