He hinted that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would make a big move to sign Venkatesh Iyer or Nitish Rana at the next event. Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin made an intriguing pre-auction prediction.
In light of the highly reported trade agreement between CSK and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) involving Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, and Sam Curran, Ashwin commented about CSK’s possible approach. The former CSK player pointed out that the team might search for a left-handed batsman at No. 3, with Rana and Iyer being ideal candidates, if Samson moves to Chennai and opens the innings with Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“This side can be greatly strengthened by CSK. I envision Nitish Rana entering the auction as soon as Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja leave.
Thus, CSK will definitely be keeping an eye on Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube account.
Both players, according to Ashwin, provide the kind of adaptability that works well in Chepauk’s conditions, where it might be difficult to reach the square limits. He went on to describe CSK’s possible batting order in the event that the trade happens, putting Samson and Gaikwad at the top, Rana or Iyer at number three, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube in the middle, and Cameron Green at number six.
“Yes, Ayush Mhatre has a track record of success. However, the Chennai wicket has started to hold and slow down, especially when batting second. In Chepauk, Venkatesh Iyer has had one or two strong innings. He can, however, play both the sweep and the reverse sweep. However, a shorter player who can use the bounce and reach the square limits, like Nitish Rana, is a desirable alternative. He’s probably going to visit CSK,” Ashwin remarked.
“It will be the finest thing if Samson and Ruturaj open. They will examine Nitish Rana or Venkatesh Iyer at three. They will aim to add Cameron Green at six because he has lately batted in the middle order for Australia, while Brevis and Dube will be at four and five, he continued.
In the IPL 2025 season, Iyer and Rana both had disappointing seasons. After leaving the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to join the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Rana amassed 217 runs at an average of less than 22 and was purchased for INR 4.2 crore at the mega auction. However, despite being one of the most expensive players for the team (costing INR 23.75 crore), Iyer averaged 20.28 in 11 games for KKR.
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