Prashant Veer cost ₹14.2 crore and took no wickets, and CSK may release him to try to buy him back cheaper

Chennai Super Kings made Prashant Veer the joint most expensive uncapped player in IPL auction history last December. Eleven months later, they are thinking about letting him go.

According to Cricbuzz, the 20-year-old all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh is the more likely of CSK’s two ₹14.2 crore signings to be released before the 15 November retention deadline. The franchise is not giving up on him entirely. The idea is to free up money for the mini-auction in Goa on 16 December, and then try to buy him back for less.

Ninety runs and no wickets

Veer and Kartik Sharma both started at a base price of ₹30 lakh at the Abu Dhabi auction on 16 December 2025, and CSK paid ₹14.2 crore for each of them. The old record for an uncapped Indian had been ₹10 crore, which Lucknow Super Giants paid for Avesh Khan in 2022.

Veer is a left-arm spinner who bats, and he was bought with Ravindra Jadeja gone to Rajasthan Royals. His first season did not come close to that billing. He played six matches, batted five times and made 90 runs, with a top score of 43 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He did not take a wicket.

Kartik, a 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan, gave CSK more. He scored 295 runs in 11 matches at 32.78, and his best was 71 off 42 balls against Lucknow at the Ekana in May. Cricbuzz says it would not be a surprise if he were released as well, but that the management may well keep him.

A CSK official told Cricbuzz that nothing has been decided on retentions or releases yet.

Why releasing him could make sense

The reason is money. CSK have ₹2.4 crore left in their purse. The salary cap goes up by ₹5 crore every year, which takes them to ₹7.4 crore, and that is not much to rebuild with after a season in which they missed the playoffs. Release Veer, and his ₹14.2 crore comes back into the purse.

The risk is plain enough. Once Veer is in the auction, any franchise can bid for him, and CSK would have to outbid the room to get him back. If he went for somewhere near his old price, they would be back where they started. If he went cheap, they would have their spinner back and crores more to spend on the rest of the squad. In other words, CSK are betting that the other nine franchises watched the same six games they did.

This is the first auction for CSK’s new coaching staff. Zaheer Khan is the head coach, with Albie Morkel as his assistant and Mohit Sharma in charge of the bowling.

Punjab are keeping Jansen

Punjab Kings are going the other way with Marco Jansen. There has been talk of a trade, and Punjab sources have told Cricbuzz there is no plan for one.

Jansen’s IPL 2026 was poor. He took nine wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate above 10, and made 51 runs in five innings. Since then he has been Player of the Series in South Africa’s three-Test win over Australia, and he is top of the ICC’s Test rankings for bowlers and all-rounders. Last month Dale Steyn called him “currently the best cricketer in the world”.

Punjab bought Jansen for ₹7 crore at the 2025 mega auction. All ten franchises have to name their retained and released players by 15 November.

Follow every IPL retention story