Sarfaraz Khan has said that he has got a “new life” after being picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Sarfaraz first went unsold in the auction at first but was later bought by the five-time champions at his base price of Rs 75 lakh. If he plays, this would be Sarfaraz’s first appearance in the IPL since he played for Delhi Capitals in 2023.
“Thank you so much, CSK for giving me new life. I will make sure CSK will lift the 2026 title,” the Mumbai batter wrote on his Instagram page.
Sarfaraz’s continued exclusion from the larger Indian Test setup, let alone the first team itself, had raised a number of eyebrows. While he had established himself as one of the most prolific first class batters in the country in domestic cricket, Sarfaraz has turned heads with his form in the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season. He smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 47 balls in Mumbai’s first match this season and cracked 73 in 22 balls, an eye-watering strike rate of 331.81, just hours before the auction.
Sarfaraz has played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings in the past apart from Delhi Capitals. He made his IPL debut for RCB in 2015. The right-hander has been in fine form in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, amassing 329 runs at an average of 82.25 and a strike rate of 204.34, with a century to his name.
Sarfaraz has represented India in six Test matches, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10 and strike rate of 74.94 with 150 being his highest score. Sarfaraz being picked for the auction was part of a larger change in philosophy for CSK. Usually known for making title-winning squads out of players who were either at their -prime or in the twilight of their careers, CSK shelled out Rs 14.20 crore each for uncapped players Prashant Veer (20 years old) and Kartik Sharma (19). They also bid succesfully for Noor Ahmad (20 years) and Dewald Brevis (22 years) who will all be part of the playing XI come next season. For a franchise that made play-offs every season between 2008-2019 the last six seasons have been a roller coaster ride. While they did win two titles in 2021 and 2023, the last season definitely seems to have shaken their core.