CSK lose Khaleel; SRH suffer Payne blow ahead of Saturday’s clash

Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have both been hit by fresh injury setbacks in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season, even as SRH received a timely boost with the impending return of their captain Pat Cummins.

CSK’s left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament due to a right quadricep injury. Confirming the development, the franchise said, “The injury sustained will take more than 12 weeks to heal.”

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Khaleel suffered the injury during CSK’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on April 14, leaving the field midway through his final over. Rookie Gurjapneet Singh completed the over and is now expected to take on greater responsibility in his absence.

The setback further weakens a CSK squad already dealing with multiple injury concerns. MS Dhoni continues to recover from a calf injury, with his return timeline extending beyond the initially expected two weeks. While he has resumed training, he is yet to return to full-intensity practice. Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of the entire season, and his replacement Spencer Johnson is also recovering from injury and has not yet joined the squad.

CSK, currently with two wins from five matches, could turn to domestic options such as Mukesh Choudhary or Ramakrishna Ghosh to fill the void. Ghosh, in particular, impressed during the 2025–26 domestic season, including a standout 7 for 42 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and a quickfire unbeaten 64 against Mumbai.

SRH lose Payne with ankle injury

Meanwhile, SRH, too, have endured their share of injury troubles. Seamer David Payne has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL with an ankle injury after featuring in just two matches. He had joined the squad as a replacement for Jack Edwards, who was sidelined with a foot injury.

The Hyderabad-based franchise had earlier lost Brydon Carse to a hand injury without him playing a game, prompting the signing of Dilshan Madushanka as his replacement.

There was, however, encouraging news for SRH with captain Pat Cummins cleared to rejoin the squad after undergoing scans on his back in Sydney. Having missed the season so far, Cummins could target a return against Rajasthan Royals on April 25.

In his absence, Ishan Kishan has been leading the side, guiding them to two wins from five matches. SRH currently sit fourth on the table, level on points with several teams but ahead on net run rate. Their recent win over Rajasthan was powered by impressive spells from uncapped pacers Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who picked up four wickets each.

SRH will next take on CSK in Hyderabad on Saturday, with both teams looking to navigate injury challenges while staying competitive in a tightly contested season.