New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been dealt a significant blow in their IPL 2026 campaign as left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed is ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a quadricep injury.

“Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of IPL 2026 after sustaining a right quadricep injury in the game against KKR. Wishing Khaleel a speedy recovery,” said the franchise on its ‘X’ account on Thursday.

Khaleel, 28, was forced to walk off the field after pulling over in his run-up in the KKR innings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, as CSK won by 32 runs. Initially he appeared to be suffering from severe cramps, but Khaleel clutched his right leg in discomfort and subsequently walked off the field, leaving teammate Gurjapneet Singh to bowl the remaining five balls in the over.

“The injury also involves tears in the quadriceps. So Khaleel may require surgery if it is needed. It’s a bad injury for a fast bowler to get, as anything near that area takes a long time to heal and rehab also has to be done very carefully,” said an IPL source.

With the IPL 2026 season intensifying, Khaleel’s absence leaves a massive void in the CSK pace battery. The side is already playing without MS Dhoni, who is recovering from a calf injury and Spencer Johnson, who is expected to link up with the side in coming days and is himself coming off a back stress fracture injury.

As of now, seamers Mukesh Choudhary and Ramakrishna Ghosh are the other options CSK can look to fill the void left by Khalee. While left-armer Choudhary offers a like-for-like replacement for Khaleel, Ghosh is a right-arm quick who brings significant value as a handy lower-order batter and had a breakout time for Maharashtra in the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

With two wins from five matches, Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK are scheduled to travel to Hyderabad to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday evening.

–IANS

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