Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have moved to shore up their squads with injury replacements, with one change affecting each franchise. CSK have brought in Kuldip Yadav to replace Khaleel Ahmed, who was ruled out of the tournament in mid-April after suffering a quad injury. The 29-year-old medium-fast bowler arrives for a fee of INR 30 lakh, adding depth to CSK’s pace options as the season wears on.
Kuldip’s IPL experience includes a stint with Rajasthan Royals. He appeared in three matches for the franchise across 2021 and 2023, and those remain the only T20 appearances he has recorded so far. For CSK, the replacement also follows Khaleel’s brief spell in the side this season: he played five games for the yellow brigade, taking two wickets, but his campaign was cut short when he picked up the injury during a match against Kolkata Knight Riders. In that game, he was unable to complete his spell, failing to bowl the final delivery.
CSK have already been forced to deal with a string of setbacks this campaign, with Jamie Overton being among the more recent names to be affected after sustaining a right-thigh injury. With multiple disruptions along the way, the franchise’s decision to add Kuldip underlines the emphasis on maintaining bowling variety and keeping fresh options available for the remaining matches.
RCB, meanwhile, have completed their own replacement move by securing England seamer Richard Gleeson in place of Nuwan Thushara, who has also been ruled out of the competition. Gleeson joins the defending champions for INR 1.6 crore. Thushara had featured in just one match for RCB last year, and he did not take part in IPL 2026 before his tournament ended prematurely due to injury.
Gleeson, who is 38, made his England debut in 2022 and has played six T20I matches, claiming nine wickets. In franchise T20 cricket, he has taken 170 wickets in 145 T20 outings. He has also appeared in two IPL seasons previously: in 2024, he turned out for CSK, taking one wicket across two games, while last year he was with MI, where he made a single appearance and took one wicket. With Thushara ruled out and RCB needing a reliable pace option, Gleeson’s recruitment gives them an experienced overseas bowling option for the stretch ahead.
