IPL 2026: With the league stage of IPL 2026 nearing its end, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have called in reinforcements for their injuries. Kuldip Yadav has been roped in as Khaleel Ahmed’s replacement, while Richard Gleeson will joint the Royal Challengers for Nuwan Thushara, who has not been available since the start of the tournament.
IPL 2026: What happened to Khaleel Ahmed and Nuwan Thushara?
Khaleel, the left-arm pacer, was CSK’s pace spearhead, leading their bowling unit in the first phase of the edition. However, he suffered a tear in his right quadriceps, rendering him out of the tournament. The 28-year-old, who has played for multiple franchises, took only two wickets in five matches at 73 in IPL 2026. Meanwhile, Kuldip made his IPL debut for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 and has played only three matches in the tournament, the last of which came three years ago.
As for Thushara, the Sri Lankan right-arm pacer was denied NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) due to failing to clear the mandatory fitness test. Although he was retained by the Royal Challengers, he hasn’t been available for the defending champions since the start. Gleeson has previously played for the Mumbai Indians and the Super Kings in three matches, taking two wickets. He was part of Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026, taking 12 wickets in 9 matches. The England speedster will join the Royal Challengers for a sum of ₹1.6 crore, as per the official statement.
IPL 2026: Where are the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings placed in the points table?
As far as the points table is concerned, the Royal Challengers, led by Rajat Patidar, are sitting pretty on top with 16 points and are almost assured of a playoffs spot. They had suffered back-to-back defeats to the Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) but bounced back to beat the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The win over the Mumbai Indians also knocked out the five-time champions out of playoffs race.
Meanwhile, the Super Kings are currently fifth in the table with six victories in 11 games and have 12 points. While they have three games remaining, the five-time champions must win all of them and hope for other results to go their way to stand a chance of a top 4 finish.
