R Ashwin's bold message to CSK on Sarfaraz Khan ahead of IPL 2026

NEW DELHI: As Sarfaraz Khan continues his rich vein of form in domestic cricket, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed the right-hander to become a regular batter for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.



Ashwin’s endorsement comes after Sarfaraz smashed a blistering 157 off 75 balls against Goa in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), an innings that included nine boundaries and 14 sixes and underlined his power-hitting prowess.



Sarfaraz brought up his hundred in just 56 balls in what was a breathtaking knock. Ashwin also highlighted the batter’s performances in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he amassed 329 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 203.08 and an average of 65.80.

In a post on X, Ashwin wrote, "100*(47), 52(40), 64(25), 73(22) in the SMAT. That form's transitioned seamlessly into the Hazare with scores of 55(49) followed by a blistering 157(75) today with 14 sixes. It's particularly impressive how he murders spin in the middle overs with his sweeps and slog sweeps. 'Avan kadhava thattala, idichi odachitu irukaan.' ( He is not knocking on the door, he is breaking it open ) CSK should look at riding his purple patch by slotting him into the Playing XII surely? A genuine problem of plenty with the bat for the men in yellow this season! Can't wait for IPL 2026."

Following his exploits in the SMAT, five-time IPL champions CSK secured the services of the right-handed batter for Rs 75 lakh at the IPL 2026 mini-auction earlier this month.

Chennai Super Kings Squad:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Sanju Samson Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes.