[CRK]
Khaleel Ahmed Ruled Out of IPL 2026 with Quadricep Injury
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2026 with a right quadricep injury.
The injury sustained will take more than 12 weeks to heal, according to a statement from CSK. Khaleel had hurt himself during CSK’s previous game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Chennai on April 14 and left the field, five balls into his final over.
Impact on CSK
Rookie Gurjapneet Singh completed the over and might have to shoulder more responsibility in Khaleel’s absence. Khaleel’s injury further depletes a CSK side that is already without MS Dhoni and Nathan Ellis. Dhoni is working his way back from a calf injury, with his recovery stretching beyond two weeks.
Ellis has been sidelined from the entire season while Spencer Johnson, his replacement, is also working his way back from injury and is yet to link up with CSK. Mahatrashtra seamers Mukesh Choudhary and Ramakrishna Ghosh are among the options to slot in for Khaleel.
Potential Replacements
While left-armer Choudhary could be a like-for-like replacement, Ghosh is a right-arm quick who can also contribute with the bat. Ghosh emerged as Maharashtra’s breakout player during the 2025-26 domestic season, claiming 7 for 42 against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur, the best figures for Maharashtra in an innings in List A cricket.
In the same tournament, Ghosh cracked an unbeaten 64 off 27 balls against Mumbai. CSK have two wins from five games so far and will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Saturday.
