Who Replaces Khaleel Ahmed? CSK Strongest XI vs SRH- IPL 2026, Match 27

CSK's Strongest XI vs SRH [Source: AP]

The five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings, have found their winning formula in IPL 2026 after their two successive wins put them level on points with five other teams after 5 matches played.

Up next, they visit the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad, on April 18 to face the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 27 of the season, which will begin at 7:30 PM (IST). Currently, both SRH and CSK have played five each, winning two and losing 3. However, due to a big margin of wins, SRH, with a NRR of +0.576 are placed fourth, while CSK is 8th with -0.846 NRR.

On a positive note, the likes of Sanju Samson and Noor Ahmed have looked in their old forms for CSK, alongside the return of Dewald Brevis, bolstering the lineup. On the other hand, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's form has been a concern, and Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of the tournament, as they continue to wait for MS Dhoni's return.

As they aim to potentially break into the top-4 of the table with a win over SRH, we take a look at their lineup for the match in Hyderabad.

CSK's Likely XI vs SRH- IPL 2026, Match 27

Top Order: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre

After a torrid start to the season, Sanju Samson has got two back-to-back good scores ahead of the SRH fixture, with 115*(56) and 48(32), which has changed CSK's fortunes. He will once again do the heavy lifting in the powerplay as Ruturaj Gaikwad looks to find some form, having scored only 63 runs in 60 balls in five matches of IPL 2026.

The U19 World Cup-winning captain, Ayush Mhatre, has looked the most consistent batter so far in IPL 2026 for CSK. He has scored 171 runs in 5 innings at 171, with two fifties to his name and will continue to bat at 3 for them.

Also Read: Khaleel Ahmed Replacements- Players Who Walk In CSK Directly For IPL 2026

Middle Order and All Rounders: Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton

Dewald Brevis' return has provided a big boost to the CSK middle-order after three losses. Since coming back, he hasn't batted much but scored 41 runs in 2 innings at 141.37. He will share the middle-order with Sarfaraz Khan, who has also been very consistent in the early days of the tournament, with 122 runs in 4 innings, striking at 182.08.

The powerful all-rounders Shivam Dube and Jamie Overton will share the finishing responsibility at 6 and 7. While Dube can also go bat up the order, he has scored 102 runs at 154.54 in 5 innings so far, while Overton was among their better batters in the initial losses, contributing 87 runs in 3 innings at 150.

The English all-rounder has also picked 5 wickets in 4 innings at an economy rate of 9.63 so far, bowling across phases.

Bowlers: Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh

Since Akeal Hosein's inclusion in the playing XI, he has added some much-needed experience in the bowling lineup, with his ability to bowl in the powerplay and middle overs. He has picked 1 wicket with 7.66 economy in two matches. On the other hand, Noor Ahmed, who had 1 wicket in 4 matches, picked a 3/21 in the last match, showing his old form as a big positive.

With Khaleel Ahmed out of the rest of the tournament, the Indian bowling contingent will be led by Anshul Kamboj, who is already the joint-leading wicket-taker of IPL 2026. The pacer has picked 10 scalps in 5 innings, going for 10.12 runs per over so far.

Kamboj will be paired with the tall left-arm quick, Gurjapneet Singh, who recently debuted against DC and finished with a good 1/39 (4), dismissing Axar Patel. In Khaleel's absence, there is also a possibility that Mukesh Choudhary is roped in by CSK for the powerplay bowling.

CSK Predicted Playing XI vs SRH- IPL 2026, Match 27- Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh