The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a forgettable Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) where they finished at the bottom of the points table. They thus shifted their focus midway through the season to giving youngsters a chance and building a core for the future.
Given that the franchise will be hoping to make further amends before the IPL 2026 edition, there is one more youngster who might be on the radar of the five-time champions.
Younger brother of Gujarat Titans (GT) and New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips, Dale Phillips could be a likely candidate that CSK can look at.
The 26-year-old was also recently spotted in Chennai when he came to train at the Super Kings Academy (SKA). He focused mainly on expanding his range of shots against spin under the guidance of High performance coach Sriram Krishnamurthy.
While this might not be a confirmation of CSK’s ambitions, Dale’s familiarity to the Chennai conditions can play a part during the IPL 2026 auction.
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Batting was a major concern for CSK throughout IPL 2025- be it lack of aggression at the top of the order or not enough intent and firepower in the middle-order.
This is where Dale can come in handy, given his ability to bat across different positions in the batting order. While he started out his career in the middle-order, he has gradually moved up and currently bats as an opener, especially in white ball cricket.
In IPL 2025, CSK had two Kiwi openers in Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra but the duo weren’t exactly threatening in the powerplay. If CSK lets go of either, it will free up their purse and an overseas slot to use it on a player keeping in mind the future. CSK also secured a young wicketkeeper-batter in Urvil Patel last season, which allows them to go after a specialist overseas batter if Conway is released. Dale can also roll his arm over with the ball and can fill the void for Rachin too.
Furthermore, CSK has a long history of signing New Zealand players over the years in the likes of Rachin, Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Brendon McCullum amongst others apart from their coach Stephen Fleming and Dale could be an interesting addition as well.
Speaking about his numbers in the T20 format, Dale Phillips has played 40 games, amassing 516 runs at a SR of 124.33 and has a fifty to his name.
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