Former India batter picks CSK playing 12 after IPL 2026 auction, Discarded India batter snubbed

Subramaniam Badrinath couldn't find a place for Sarfaraz Khan while picking the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) 12-man team after the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Sarfaraz lost his place in the Indian Test side but performed well for Mumbai in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At the IPL auction this week, Sarfaraz was roped in by CSK for his base price of INR 75 lakh.

CSK entered the auction with the second-highest purse of INR 43.4 crore. They invested heavily in youth, with a vision towards the future. The five-time champions acquired the services of Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for INR 14.2 crore each. Badrinath explained the kind of pressure the two youngsters will feel while batting in the middle order.

"There was a necessity in the position between Dube and Dhoni. But it's unknown how Kartik Sharma will perform in that position. Because it's a very difficult role, batting at No. 5 or 6. There is high pressure in that role with a low chance of success unless you are really good," he said on Star Sports.

"Likewise for the batter that comes after Dhoni. So both these youngsters are going to be given high-pressure roles. It looks like a good 11, but a lot will hinge on how these two uncapped players perform. It's going to test them a lot, given the high pressure of their roles," he added.

Will Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma feature in the playing XI together? Badrinath opines

Badrinath believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad's style of captaincy will determine whether Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma feature in CSK's playing XI together in the upcoming season. The former India batter explained how MS Dhoni would have gone about this had he been the captain.

"Whether both play in the 11 will depend on the style of leadership. Dhoni is no longer the captain. But in my experience knowing Dhoni, price doesn't warrant a place in the 11 for him. Whether you pick a player for 15 crore or 1 crore, if the player is good enough for a particular role, he'll play. But he won't play irrespective of the price if he doesn't fit in the scheme of things. This was Dhoni's leadership style," said Badrinath.

"But now with Ruturaj, his inputs will matter a lot on this. He's also a youngster so it remains to be seen what he does. Whether price guarantees a place, we don't know yet. But it wasn't necessarily the case with Dhoni. He was certain that irrespective of whether it's Ben Stokes or Andrew Flintoff or any big player, if that player didn't fit in his scheme of things, he wouldn't play," he added.

Subramaniam Badrinath's CSK playing 12 for IPL 2026: Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, MS Dhoni, Prashant Veer, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad.

Impact Sub: Rahul Chahar.