3 players CSK can sign as Ravichandran Ashwin's replacement for IPL 2026 ft. Michael Bracewell 

Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's return to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has officially reached its inevitable end. However, the player dropped a surprise by retiring from the Indian Premier League (IPL) altogether, and expressing an interest in venturing into overseas leagues in the twilight stage of his career.

There was massive friction between Ashwin and CSK, and considering his INR 9.75 crore price tag, a potential release to free up the auction purse was on the cards. While the franchise do have other areas to focus on as priority to strengthen the squad, they will also need to add another spinner into the mix to complement the pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad.

It is arguably hard to judge who CSK could potentially target at this stage since there may be some lucrative names from the list of players released by other franchises. As a result, for the time being, only the list of players not tied with any franchises at the moment, and that may enter the IPL 2026 mini-auction, are considered.

On that note, let us take a look at three players CSK can sign as Ravichandran Ashwin's replacement for IPL 2026.

#1 Michael Bracewell

The New Zealand all-rounder comes across as a good fit for the Yellow Army with his right-arm off-spin and his ability in the lower middle-order. He had a brief, but successful stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a couple of seasons back, and has been a consistent performer in international and franchise cricket in recent years.

Bracewell is currently enjoying a solid campaign with the Southern Brave in The Hundred 2025, and is the 17th-ranked all-rounder in T20I cricket.

Although spinners' influence at Chepauk has considerably declined, his smart bowling and X-Factor ability make him a potentially bargain acquisition for the next season. In his sole IPL season in 2023, he played five matches, where he picked up six wickets at an economy of 8.93, and scored 58 runs at a strike rate of 123.40.

#2 Akeal Hosein

In R Ashwin, CSK had a solid defensive spin bowling option. The veteran spinner was not particularly renowned for his wicket-taking ability in his final years in the IPL, but was still one of the best when it came to containing the opposition with his variations and tight lines.

However, IPL 2025 showed that Ashwin's ability to bowl in the powerplay r contain proceedings later on was not very effective against modern batters' ultra-aggressive approach. However, defensive bowling still remains a major priority in T20 cricket, and CSK do need one such candidate, especially considering they have one of the best attacking spinners in Noor Ahmad already settled.

West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein presents himself as a solid upgrade under the circumstances. He has been a consistent performer, and among the of best spinners in world cricket over the last two years. However, his sudden rise to the top has been overlooked in the IPL, largely due to the intense competition in place.

Granted that CSK already have two established left-arm options, having another one in Akeal Hosein in a completely different role will aid the side, especially when it comes to bowling on batting-friendly conditions, and with dew.

#3 Adil Rashid

The veteran wrist spinner has been overlooked in the IPL for several years now. He had sporadic stints with a couple of franchises, but could never establish himself as a frontline option due to competition and team combination concerns.

However, even at this age, Rashid is still operating at his absolute best. He has a magnificent read of the subcontinent conditions, and had a splendid T20I series against India just earlier this year. He has the ability to be among the wickets as well as contain the run flow, and the fact that he is able to make his variations work even when there is not much aid from the pitch is what sets him apart.

History shows that CSK are not scared to hedge their bets against the veterans, and as far as those are concerned, there might not be many better than Rashid at this moment.