As Sarfaraz Khan continues his remarkable form in domestic cricket, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed him to become a regular batter for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. This endorsement comes after Sarfaraz scored an impressive 157 off 75 balls against Goa in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), which included nine boundaries and 14 sixes, displaying his powerful hitting abilities. Sarfaraz’s stunning innings saw him reach his century in just 56 balls.
Ashwin also highlighted Sarfaraz’s performance in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he accumulated 329 runs in seven matches with a strike rate of 203.08 and an average of 65.80. In an X post, Ashwin wrote, “100*(47),
52(40), 64(25), 73(22) in the SMAT. That form’s transitioned seamlessly into the Hazare with scores of 55(49) followed by a blistering 157(75) today with 14 sixes. It’s particularly impressive how he murders spin in the middle overs with his sweeps and slog sweeps. ‘Avan kadhava thattala, idichi odachitu irukaan.’ (He isn’t knocking on the door. He’s smashing it down) CSK should look at riding his purple patch by slotting him into the Playing XII surely? A genuine problem of plenty with the bat for the men in yellow this season! Can’t wait for IPL 2026.”
100*(47), 52(40), 64(25), 73(22) in the SMAT.
That form’s transitioned seamlessly into the Hazare with scores of 55(49) followed by a blistering 157(75) today with 14 sixes. It’s particularly impressive how he murders spin in the middle overs with his sweeps and slog sweeps.… pic.twitter.com/MfBWAD6QH8
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 31, 2025
After his successful stint in SMAT, five-time IPL winners CSK secured the right-hand batter for Rs 75 lakh at the IPL 2026 mini-auction earlier this month.
Chennai Super Kings Squad:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Sanju Samson, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes.
(With inputs from Agencies)
