Former Indian all-rounder R Ashwin has cautioned the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) not to let Shivam Dube go in a deal ahead of the 2027 IPL season. Dube has been among the first names cited in trade rumors involving Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya in recent days.
While Ashwin admitted that Hardik's acquisition would greatly benefit CSK, he believed Dube might become a beast elsewhere. Dube scored only 270 runs in IPL 2026 at an average of 38.57 with a strike rate of nearly 159 in 13 games.
"Certain players always get undervalued in CSK during the season. Shivam Dube has had some very ordinary drops in the field. But I am warning CSK that Dube will be a beast if you let go of him. If Dube goes out of CSK, he will become a monster elsewhere. Dube is a rare commodity in India, as a left-handed batter with long levers who can strike a long ball,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"There was talk last year itself that Khaleel Ahmed asked for a release from CSK. I am not sure of the position now. But when a player makes such a request, the franchise eventually has to adhere to it and consider it. So, I won’t rule him out as a part of the Hardik trade. But if CSK has to let go of Dube, Khaleel and Kamboj to get Hardik, where will they go for an Indian seamer?
So even if MI gives Hardik to CSK, they will look to break CSK’s backbone when theirs is being broken. Also, CSK’s biggest hole isn’t the batting, and if Hardik comes in, it’ll further strengthen their middle-order and finishing. But by giving up Kamboj and Khaleel, CSK have to manage with Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad and Jamie Overton, which will be difficult,” he added.
Under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, MI managed to make it into the playoffs only once in three seasons. Performance-wise, Pandya had a poor outing in IPL 2026, with 206 runs and 4 wickets in 10 games for MI.
Ashwin advised CSK to go all out for an Indian spinner in the auction or via trade, if they manage to get Hardik Pandya. Ashwin believes that CSK needs to open a spot for an overseas pacer like Nathan Ellis, but offload one of their two foreign pacers in Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad.
"If they get Hardik and give away Indian pacers, CSK should target guys like Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker as Chepauk has good bounce. They can also play Nathan Ellis and look for an Indian spinner. There was some news around Sai Kishore. CSK should go all out for a good Indian spinner," said Ashwin.
CSK endured another poor season in IPL 2026, finishing eighth in the standings and missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
