IPL 2026: Former India cricketer feels CSK missed a trick in not picking Mustafizur Rahman at auction

Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth believes Chennai Super Kings should have bought Mustafizur Rahman at IPL 2026 auction. Mustafizur was ultimately snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 9.2 crore.

Srikkanth mentioned that Mustafizur would have been an ideal like-for-like replacement for the released Matheesha Pathirana in terms of a death-bowling alternative.

"CSK missed a trick by not getting Mustafizur. Once they decided to let go of Pathirana, they should have gone all out for Mustafizur. Even if he went for 12 or 15 crores, they should have signed him. CSK desperately needs a bowler like him. They don't have a death bowler like that," shared Srikkanth in a video on his YouTube channel.

Further commenting on CSK's potential team combination, he emphasised the need for including Akeal Hosein in the XI in a bid to complement the wrist-spin of Noor Ahmad.

"Only one of Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer can play in the XI. I still believe Akeal Hosein should be in the XI. He's a very good pick because, like Ravindra Jadeja, he bowls very well. You can't just rely on Noor Ahmad, so you need Akeal Hosein. We don't know how Prashant Veer will bowl," he added.

For the unversed, CSK had started off the bidding process for Mustafizur. CSK contested closely with first Delhi Capitals and later KKR. CSK did not bid anymore for the Bangladeshi seamer once KKR valued the left-armer at INR 9.2 crore.

Mustafizur has played eight seasons in the IPL, picking up 65 wickets in 60 matches at an economy rate of 8.13. Mustafizur appeared for CSK for a sole season in 2024. He registered his IPL career-best figures of 4/29 during that season.

CSK's final squad for IPL 2026

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