CSK’s risky call: Injured Spencer Johnson replaces injured Nathan Ellis

NEW DELHI: The announcement of Spencer Johnson as a replacement for the injured Nathan Ellis for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has created quite an uproar. There had been a bit of mystery around Johnson’s signing as a replacement player.

The 30-year-old was earlier signed by Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons. A few days later, he joined the five-time IPL champions for Rs 1.5 crore (US$160,000). Interestingly, Johnson’s PSL salary was higher than his IPL deal, as he was contracted with the Gladiators for approximately PKR 56 million (around ₹1.87 crore or $200,000).



A day after his official announcement, CSK on Wednesday posted on X that the left-arm quick will join the squad between April 21 and 23. The reason remains unknown. TimesofIndia.com reached out to Kasi Viswanathan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CSK, but multiple calls went unanswered.

Johnson has not played any competitive cricket since the last IPL, where he featured for Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR had acquired his services for Rs 2.80 crore, and the lanky pacer played four matches, picking up just one wicket. He was later released ahead of the 2026 mini auction.

An update on Johnson was provided by former Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris, who is currently the coach of South Australia, on the eve of the Sheffield Shield final against Victoria.

"Spencer is jumping around a little bit," Harris said, referring to him pulling out of the PSL and then joining the IPL.


"He got some good news, I think four or five days ago, about his back," Harris said. "Finally, the crack in his back has healed. He's had quite a frustrating eight to ten months. So the good news is he's back bowling. He's building up again.

"IPL, I think there might be an opportunity. We're still waiting to see what happens there. He's obviously got to do a fair bit of bowling before he goes back into competitive cricket. So we're working on that as we speak.

"But it would be good to see Spence back playing cricket. He's obviously had some bad luck over the last two years."

Johnson, who has played five ODIs and eight T20Is for Australia, is recovering from a back injury.

Harris also revealed that the pacer has resumed bowling but is currently operating at just over half pace, and he is working on modifying his action to stay fit.

"We've been doing that ever since he's been able to roll his arm over," Harris said.

"We've been just tweaking a couple of things, and he's doing really well. He had a bowl the day before yesterday. I wasn't there, but I reviewed some video. We've been very conscious of what he's trying to achieve, trying to straighten him up a little and take some pressure off his back.

"But he's done it really well. He feels that although he's only going at about 60%, the ball is coming out nicely. As we speak, he's bowling more and trying to build up. It's now about getting enough bowling load into his body to allow him to play."


Only time will tell whether the Australian quick will reach peak fitness by the time he joins the CSK squad, but this is curious that an IPL team has replaced an injured player with another injured player.

TimesofIndia.com has learnt that the supply of available players has taken a hit, as several cricketers who went unsold in the IPL mini auction are currently playing in the PSL.

Johnson became the third player after Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani and Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka to snap up IPL deals despite being contracted in the PSL. However, with Bangladesh players not being considered and IPL teams reluctant to pick players from Associate nations, franchises are struggling to find replacements.

CSK will open their campaign in IPL 2026 on March 30 against the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati.

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