Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have roped in Australian pacer Spenser Johnson as a replacement for Nathan Ellis, who has been ruled out of the whole tournament due to a hamstring injury.
Earlier, Johnson had signed for the Quetta Gladiators for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 season, but he pulled out just before the tournament. The news was made official on March 15, and Johnson cited personal reasons for leaving the PSL.
Johnson, who has played 13 international games – 5 ODIs and 8 T20Is – for Australia & has 18 international wickets against his name, has previously represented Gujarat Titans (GT) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL.
“Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have picked a player replacement for injured Nathan Ellis for the upcoming TATA Indian Premier League (IPL). Spencer Johnson will join CSK for INR 1.5 Crore as a replacement for Ellis,” IPL’s official statement read.
Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the last season, Spencer Johnson played only 4 games throughout the campaign. He took 1 wicket, and his best figures were 1/42. During the IPL 2024 season, he played five matches for the Gujarat Titans, taking four wickets with an economy rate of 9.4.
Johnson has a big responsibility to fill in the shoes of Ellis, who has taken 19 wickets from 17 IPL matches, was bought by CSK for Rs 2 crore at the 2025 mega auction after four seasons with Punjab Kings, and was retained ahead of the 2026 season.
The 31-year-old, who was in great touch for Australia in the past year, was expected to play a big role for the franchise after they let go of their prime bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who will now play for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the upcoming season.
CSK will open their campaign in the IPL 2026 on March 30 when they take on the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. They will then host Punjab Kings on April 3 and Delhi Capitals on April 11 at their home ground, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, before going to Bengaluru for the contest against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 5.
CSK finished last in the IPL 2025. They won just four out of the 14 matches and were the first team to get eliminated from the playoff race.
