IPL 2026: Five possible overseas replacement players for CSK after Nathan Ellis’ injury

Chennai Super Kings suffered a blow days ahead of IPL 2026 with news that Nathan Ellis might miss the campaign with a hamstring injury.

The Australian pacer was the death-bowling lynchpin for the side the previous season and was set to helm the role, with the side letting go of Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the auction.

Ellis’ injury means the CSK thinktank will have to look for options who can fit in the role. Within the setup, England’s Jamie Overton and Tamil Nadu left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh could be options. But with the option to sign a replacement player for the ongoing campaign, the side might look to bring in someone from the auction player pool.

Here are five overseas players who CSK could turn to as death-bowling options:

Fazalhaq Farooqi

The Afghanistan pacer comes with previous IPL experience with the Rajasthan Royals and has been a regular feature for the national team in the shortest format. The left-arm pacer has picked six wickets in 12 matches in the IPL, but has conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.32.

Gerald Coetzee

South Africa pacer Coetzee, too, has participated in the IPL for the Gujarat Titans and the Mumbai Indians in the last two campaigns. He has also been part of the Johannesburg Super Kings set-up in the SA20. However, he was not picked up by the Proteas for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The pacer has picked 15 wickets in 14 games and is also handy with the bat lower down the order.

Richard Gleeson

Gleeson played for CSK in 2024, playing two matches while picking up a solitary wicket. The 38-year-old has also been part of the Super Kings setup in the SA20, picking nine wickets in six games. The English pacer has picked 158 wickets in 136 matches at an economy rate of 8.25.

Sean Abbott

Australian pacer Sean Abbott is another overseas option available for CSK to replace his compatriot in the squad. Abbott, who is also handy with the bat, was the travelling reserve in the Australia squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. The experienced pacer has picked over 250 T20 wickets at an economy rate of 8.62.

Josh Tongue

English pacer Josh Tongue was part of the England squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 but did not feature in a single game. He has yet to play a T20 international for his nation but was the leading wicket-taker in the 2025 edition of The Hundred with 14 wickets in six matches. In all T20s, he has picked 29 wickets in 21 games at an economy rate of 9.07.

Published on Mar 19, 2026