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Less than two weeks ahead of the deadline to announce the list of retained and released players for the Indian Premier League (IPL 2027), there are plenty of player trade rumours floating on social media. While the Hardik Pandya trade remains a mystery, among overseas players, South African all-rounder Marco Jansen’s name was mentioned. Jansen recently became the no.1 ranked Test all-rounder. The rumour mill suggested that Punjab Kings (PBKS) may trade Jansen to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but the former has ruled out the possibility.
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As per a report by Cricbuzz, Jansen won't be traded to CSK. The report says that PBKS Sources told them that the franchise has no intention of releasing the tall left-arm pacer.
26-year-old Jansen had an underwhelming IPL 2026 season for PBKS. He bagged just nine wickets, averaging 53.66. He conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.20 runs per over. While he got just five innings to showcase his talent with the bat, he couldn't make them count. He scored just 51 runs at a strike rate of 113.33. Considering his batting exploits, his services with the bat may be used more in the upcoming season.
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The 26-year-old pacer was retained by PBKS for Rs 7 crore. If he performs well this season, he might make PBKS’ list of retained players before the next mega auction as well.
In T20Is for South Africa this year, Jansen has been impressive with 12 wickets from seven T20Is at 23 apiece. His economy rate remains at over 10 runs per over. From three innings with bat, he scored 73 runs, including an unbeaten 55, which came against New Zealand in a losing cause in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal.
CSK to release Veer, Kartik
In the previous year’s auction, CSK had roped in Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for Rs 14.20 crore each. Veer did not seem fit to contribute with his left-arm spin. The 20-year-old bowled just two overs in an innings and conceded 25 runs. As a batter, he scored 90 runs from five innings at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 134.32. His highest score of 43 came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a losing cause.
The report further suggests that CSK may release Kartik as well but look to rope him back into the squad in the mini-auction. Releasing him ahead of the mini-auction will free up Rs 14.20 crores more. His base price is Rs 30 lakh, and the franchise may get him for a much lower price.
Kartik showed promise in his debut IPL season. He could not do justice to the hefty price tag but managed to score 295 runs from 11 innings at an average of 32.77 and a strike rate of 136.57. He scored a fifty each against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). His high score of 71 came against LSG in a losing cause after the top order failed to contribute. The current Rajasthan Ranji Trophy team captain may continue to be part of CSK’s long-term plan.
Changes in coaching staff
CSK have already had a revamp in their coaching staff after three seasons without a playoff spot. Zaheer Khan has been appointed as long-serving head coach Stephen Fleming's successor. Zaheer's backroom staff has been announced too. Mohit Sharma is the bowling coach, whereas Albie Morkel and Gareth Batty are assistant coaches.
CSK full squad ahead of retention deadline including injury replacements
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel, Ayush Mhatre, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Zakary Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry, Akeal Hosein, Spencer Johnson, Akash Madhwal, Macneil Noronha, Kuldip Yadav, Dian Forrester.
Players CSK can release
Zaheer may look to go into the auction with a heavy purse. If Rs Kartik and Veer are released, they will have Rs 28.40 crore in addition to the existing Rs 2.40 crore in the purse and Rs 5 crore as an increment to the annual salary cap. Ahead of the mini-auction in Goa, overseas players Matt Henry, Zakary Foulkes and Matthew Short may be released.
Foulkes hasn't played a competitive match since June 2026. He was ruled out of the recently concluded T20I series against India. Roped in for Rs 75 lakh, he did not play a single game in the series. Henry played just three games for CSK and conceded 130 runs at an economy rate of 13 from 10 overs. He claimed two wickets against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a losing cause.
When Dewald Brevis was injured, Short got a few chances but couldn't make them count. From three innings, he scored 60 runs at an average of 20 and a strike rate of 117.64. He got two bowling opportunities, but the off-spinner remained wicketless and conceded runs at 12.31 runs per over.
Spencer Johnson and Diaan Forrester were roped in as replacements for injured Nathan Ellis and Jamie Overton, respectively. It is not clear whether Forrester, a part of CSK's sister franchises Texas Super Kings and Jo'burg Super Kings, will be retained or not. An unfit Johnson was picked as Ellis’ replacement. Johnson played three games and claimed two wickets at 56 apiece. His economy rate was just over 10 runs per over. There is a question mark over his retention.
Another player CSK can release to free up their purse is leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. The leggie was roped in for Rs 5.20 crore, which was considered a surprise move. The more surprising part was that he played just one game for CSK against his former franchise PBKS. He remained wicketless and conceded 46 runs. Last month, there were rumours that Chahar would be traded to Delhi Capitals (DC). In turn, they would get a finisher in the form of Ashutosh Sharma. DC needed a leggie after trading Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They got a leggie in Zeeshan Ansari via a trade from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). They gave T Natarajan to SRH.
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