IPL 2026: Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings' move to buy uncapped Indian players, among the likes of Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, at a joint-record price of Rs 14.2 crore each, was a massive talking point between fans and experts alike. The signings signalled a clear 'tectonic' shift, which means that they are moving on from the tag of 'Dad's army' to T20 babies.
CSK Head Coach Stephen Fleming reflected on the strategy that CSK may be heading towards a T20 revolution.
“As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it," Fleming said after the IPL 2026 Auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
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“Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success, but we identified that we needed to shift, and partly the work that we did last season, halfway through, has enabled us to continue that work done."
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Chennai experienced their worst-ever season in IPL 2025 as they finished at the bottom of the points table. However, the men-in-yellow started to make a shift in strategy with the signings of young batters like Dewald Brevis, India's Ayush Mhatre, and Urvil Patel in the middle of the season.
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Those lessons became clear in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. CSK spent a lot on 20-year-old Prashant Veer and 19-year-old Kartik Sharma. They committed ₹28.4 crore to youth and potential.
“These are T20 babies," he said. “They’ve grown up with the format. They just express their skills. There’s no fear."
“Sometimes experienced players get caught trying to work out where the game’s going," he explained.
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“So there’s real appeal, especially when the game is being played faster and faster. I think it’s a byproduct of T20 being around for some time now, and we’re all learning, being involved with it, and the faster it gets, these young players seem to play better."