Chennai, March 20 – Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have suffered a major setback just a week before the start of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as their key bowler, Nathan Ellis, has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to a hamstring injury.
The franchise confirmed Ellis's exit through a social media post on Friday. "Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of the season due to a hamstring injury. We wish him a speedy recovery!" CSK wrote on X.
Ellis, who has taken 19 wickets in 17 IPL matches, was bought by CSK for Rs 2 crore at the 2025 mega auction after four seasons with Punjab Kings, and was retained for the 2026 season.
The 31-year-old, who was in excellent form for Australia in the past year, was expected to play a significant role for the franchise after CSK released their key bowler, Matheesha Pathirana, who will now play for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the upcoming season.
With Ellis out of the season, CSK's overseas fast bowlers now consist of Matt Henry, Jamie Overton, and Zak Foulkes, while the Indian options include Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, and Mukesh Choudhary.
The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team also has Shivam Dube and Aman Khan, both of whom are T20 World Cup champions for India, as pace bowling all-rounders.
CSK will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 30, when they face Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. They will then host Punjab Kings on April 3 and Delhi Capitals on April 11 at their home ground, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, before traveling to Bengaluru to play against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 5.
CSK finished last in IPL 2025. They won only four out of 14 matches and were the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race.