Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set for their next Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at their home turf, the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The Whistle Podu Army might be excited to see MS Dhoni in the XI around whom CSK's legacy has revolved for so many years, while Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, and DJ Bravo are others in that list.
However, ahead of today's game, CSK's batting coach Michael Hussey, who himself has played seven seasons with this team, has revealed the team's vision on building a legacy around Karthik Sharma, the 20-year-old prodigy who was drafted by CSK this year for a whopping INR 14.20 crore.
What Hussey said about Karthik Sharma
Hussey, via Cricbuzz, lauded Sharma and said that he is a great talent and the team is excited about his future. Mr. Cricket also revealed that he is hopeful of seeing him with CSK for the next five to ten years as his attitude towards the game is commendable.
"I think he's a great talent and really excited about the future for Kartik. I hope we can see him here at CSK for the next five, ten years," Hussey said.
Hussey also revealed that Karthik is willing to do well in IPL and also aims to play for the national side.
"He's got a great attitude towards the game, he trains really well, he's very ambitious, he wants to do well not just in the IPL but he wants to play for India," Michael Hussey concluded.
Not an ideal start to Karthik Sharma's IPL journey
Sharma made his Indian Premier League debut against the Rajasthan Royals in March, but he hasn't had an ideal start to his IPL career. In five outings for CSK in 2026, Sharma has only scored 58 runs at an average of 11.60 with a mediocre strike rate of 118.37.
While there is still a lot of time left for him to redeem himself, Karthik Sharma must be eyeing a return to his form against CSK's arch rivals, MI. He would want to replicate the form he used to be in during the 2024/25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he hit the most number of sixes for any player in the tournament.