Sarfaraz Khan has landed a fantastic chance to make his way back into the Indian team, thanks to CSK in IPL 2026. After being overlooked in the last two editions of the tournament, this domestic run-machine from Mumbai was picked up by the five-time champions for a cool Rs 75 lakh. Khan, who made his debut in the Indian Test setup in 2024, only managed to stick around for three series before falling out of favor with the selectors, forcing him to grind it out in the domestic circuit once again.

 

For the first time in IPL history, CSK has a squad that leans more towards youngsters than seasoned veterans. Each of these young talents has earned their spot through consistent performances across various formats. This puts Sarfaraz in a bit of a dilemma. Can he carve out a place in a star-studded playing XI for IPL 2026? What are the odds of Khan reviving his career with CSK? Let’s dive in.

 

Can Sarfaraz Khan earn a place in CSK’s XI?

 

First, let’s take a look at Sarfaraz’s performance over the past year, particularly in white-ball formats. Fortunately for the Mumbai batter, he faced injuries or was hospitalized most of the time during the red-ball tournaments. He dealt with an elbow injury in 2024, a quadriceps issue in 2025, and bone swelling in January 2026, followed by a hospitalization due to viral fever in February 2026—all during red-ball competitions. But now, he’s fit and has already joined the CSK camp.

 

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When it comes to Sarfaraz’s form in domestic white-ball tournaments, he scored 329 runs in 7 matches, boasting an impressive average of 65.80, including a century and three fifties in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. He followed that up with 303 runs in 6 matches at an average of 75.75 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025. While he didn’t top the charts in either tournament, Khan’s performance was encouraging, offering some positive signs for CSK as they head into IPL 2026. With those averages, it’ll be tough to keep him out of CSK’s playing XI, but he does face some challenges ahead.

 

How can CSK fit Sarfaraz Khan into their playing XI?

 

To kick things off, CSK’s top five players seem pretty set in stone: Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, and Shivam Dube. It’s hard to imagine Sarfaraz breaking into that lineup. Even if you think Khan could slot in at number six or lower, that’s a tough sell too, since CSK will likely prefer to use one of their big-ticket buys, Kartik Sharma or Prashant Veer, in that spot. And let’s not forget about Urvil Patel, who’s also in the mix.

 

Then there’s MS Dhoni to consider. So, the likelihood of Sarfaraz making it into the playing XI looks pretty slim. Unless, of course, CSK decides to test their bench strength and give everyone a shot. But that would only happen if they get off to a strong start in IPL 2026. So far, Sarfaraz has played in 50 IPL matches, scoring 585 runs with an average of 22.50. His last full season was way back in 2015.