Khaleel Ahmed out of IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings are facing increasing difficulties as fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. Who could replace him now?

Khaleel Ahmed ruled out of IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings have suffered a major setback as fast bowler Khalil Ahmed has been ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 tournament. Ahmed has been ruled out of the remaining matches due to a hamstring injury. He was unable to complete his four-over spell against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 14th due to the same injury. It is reported that he may take 10-12 weeks to fully recover.

Khaleel Ahmed had a poor IPL 2026 season. He managed only two wickets in five matches. Chennai Super Kings have won two consecutive matches, after which captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said that the CSK team is slowly getting back into form. However, Khaleel Ahmed, one of the team's key fast bowlers, has been ruled out.

Even before the tournament began, Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the entire tournament due to injury. Ahmed's injury appears to be adding to CSK's difficulties in the fast bowling department. The question now is who will replace him in the Chennai team.

How will CSK's problem be solved?

Now, Chennai Super Kings have only two options left in their squad who could replace Khaleel Ahmed. The first is Mukesh Choudhary, who, like Khaleel Ahmed, bowls left-arm fast. Mukesh has 16 matches of experience in the Indian Premier League, in which he has taken 17 wickets.

Another name is Ramakrishna Ghosh, who was acquired by Chennai for ₹30 lakh before the 2025 mega auction. Chennai retained him for IPL 2026. He has yet to make his IPL debut. Ramakrishna Ghosh is a right-arm fast bowling all-rounder with experience in nine T20 matches.