Ashwin picked Kartik Sharma to bat at number 7, a slot that MS Dhoni may have occupied had he been fit and ready to play the first match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Monday.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked his Chennai Super Kings playing XI without MS Dhoni after the talismanic wicketkeeper-batter was ruled out of the first two weeks of IPL 2026 on Saturday.
The 39-year-old picked Kartik Sharma to bat at number 7, a slot that Dhoni may have occupied had he been fit and ready to play the first match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Monday. They will play their first home match of IPL 2026 against the Punjab Kings on April 3.
“So!! This should be ideal. Ruturaj, Samson, Urvil, Brevis, Dube, Sarfaraz/Ayush, Kartik Sharma, Akeal, Noor, Henry, Khaleel, Kamboj/Ghosh/Rahul/Gopal. After 2 weeks, there will be enough info available to tweak if needed,” Ashwin wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.