The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has ended, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) becoming the champion. Now players are busy with their own domestic and international fixtures. Amidst this, there have been trade deals and also rumours of players leaving the franchise they played for last season. T Natarajan, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC), might be released ahead of next season.
Delhi Capitals did not do well in the last season as well. They failed to qualify for the playoffs yet again. Despite having one of the most balanced teams on paper, they failed to go to the next round as they finished 6th in the league table with 14 points. Ahead of the next season, they traded for Rishabh Pant from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
R Ashwin feels T Natarajan can be a good fit for CSK
Ravichandran Ashwin, while speaking on his YouTube channel, spoke about T Natarajan, as the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder believes that the pacer would be the best fit for the five-time champions. He stated that he heard that T Natarajan will be released by the Capitals and the franchise needs a death bowler, and he can be a great option.
“I’ve heard that there is a possibility Natarajan could be in the auction. CSK need death bowling. Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed will take the new ball. So if Natarajan is in the auction, he could be a great option for CSK. But SRH will also go for him, as he has done well for them.”
T Natarajan was retained by the Capitals last season for a high price of INR 10.75 crore. However, he failed to deliver as per expectations; he only picked five wickets in 10 matches, and his average went up to 71.20, and he had a poor economy of over 11. Thus, the management might release him ahead of the next year’s auction.
“A Tamil boy playing for CSK will be great”: Vijay Shankar on T Natarajan possibly playing for CSK
Former CSK all-rounder Vijay Shankar also believes that, being from Chennai, Natarajan can be a good fit given his experience of death bowling, and every player born in Tamil Nadu has a dream to play for the Men in Yellow. The left-arm pacer made his domestic debut for Tamil Nadu back in 2015 and played across formats for the side.
“A Tamil boy playing for CSK will be great. There aren’t too many Indian bowlers who are also great death bowlers. Every Tamil Nadu player’s dream is to play for CSK,” said Shankar about CSK potentially signing Natarajan.
T Natarajan’s career
The left-arm pacer made his international debut for India across all three formats (Test, ODI, and T20I) during the 2020–21 tour of Australia, becoming the first Indian male cricketer to debut in all three formats on the same tour. He has featured for India in 1 Test (3 wickets), 2 ODIs (3 wickets), and 4 T20Is (7 wickets).
Due to his injury-prone career, he has been in and out of the team. In the IPL, he has played 73 matches and picked up 72 wickets with an average of under 33 and an economy of 9.21. This showcases his vast experience in the competition.
