CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings just made a big move. But one famous cricketer thinks it may not be a smart one.
On Thursday, CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) swapped four players. This happened before the IPL 2027 auction, the big event where teams buy players for the next season.
Who is going where?
CSK, who have won the IPL five times, now have England’s Liam Livingstone and Australia’s Jack Edwards. Both are all-rounders, which means they can bat and bowl. Edwards bowls in the fast-medium style, called seam bowling.
Going the other way are India’s fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed and Australia’s fast bowler Nathan Ellis. They will now play for SRH.
What about the money?
Edwards will earn Rs 3 crore at CSK. That is the same amount he was already getting. SRH signed him before he played for Australia. He made his Australia debut in January this year. But a foot injury kept him out of IPL 2026, so he has still not played a single IPL match.
Livingstone’s price dropped a lot. CSK will pay Rs 6 crore for him, while SRH had paid Rs 13 crore earlier.
Srikkanth is not happy
Kris Srikkanth, who used to open the batting for India, shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel. His view was simple: SRH got the better deal.
He was hardest on Edwards. “Why Jack Edwards?” he asked, calling him an ordinary bowler. He also said Edwards’ record in domestic cricket is nothing special. As for Khaleel Ahmed, Srikkanth said he is fine with CSK letting him go.
He was kinder to Livingstone. He said Livingstone is a good player if the team uses him well. But he asked a big question: where will he fit in CSK’s team? Srikkanth even said CSK should let go of Matt Short and see if Livingstone is a better option.
Too many players, too few spots
Here is the main problem. A team can play only four overseas players in its playing XI. Overseas players are those who are not from India.
Srikkanth says CSK already have three players who will almost surely play: Dewald Brevis, Noor Ahmad and Jamie Overton. That leaves just one spot. And even for that spot, he feels CSK might pick Akeal Hosein over Livingstone.
That is why he called the trade “very confusing.” In his words, it is not clear that CSK will gain anything from it.
So, was it a good trade?
Not everyone has to agree with Srikkanth. Livingstone can help with both bat and ball, so he gives CSK one more option. But Srikkanth is still not sure how he and Edwards will fit into the plans.
