After domestic, Sarfaraz Khan ticks IPL box, will India selectors listen now?
IPL 2026: Even though Sarfaraz Khan was bagged by CSK for 75 Lakh, he has been much better than other batters in team.
Let us just start by saying, it is Sarfaraz Khan who has looked the best CSK batter in IPL 2026. In the RR encounter, he started out with 17, then with PBKS he grew in confidence and scored 32, and now vs RCB he got a whirlwind 50. 3 matches have fetched him 99 runs, all in a losing cause — but he has shown he can be a very successful white-ball player as well. This was his first fifty after a gap of 2556 days, after he scored one vs RCB back in 2019.
The batter was exceptional on the day and achieved the milestone in 25 deliveries, giving hopes to his team, who were languishing at 10/2 when he walked in. But the time he was out, Chennai scored 77 in powerplay, giving them a massive boost. But thereafter, the battle was lost already.
CSK got Sarfaraz Khan for 75 Lakhs but he is putting a show for 7.5 crores, big salute 🫡 pic.twitter.com/vfjxxs6cC9
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 5, 2026
For long, Sarfaraz was looked as a red-ball option, despite his decent all-format credentials, and was overlooked for selection into the Indian team. He was asked by selectors to be more prolific in domestic cricket; eventually selected into the Test team, his stint lasted even less than a year.
He was asked by selectors to drop is weight, he did, and he didn’t make it back to the team. The next step was pretty clear to him, perform in the IPL — he did, and now it remains to be seen, what fate holds for the 28-year-old. But truth be told, It all seems a bit messed up for Sarfaraz Khan at the moment.
He is making a comeback in the IPL after a break of 3 years, into a side — CSK — where despite him scoring runs, winning looks a bit impossible right now. Chennai have lost three in three, and the batters have been poor to say the least. Sarfaraz is their highest run-getter so far, while the next is Ayush Mhatre with 74 runs.
The gap is far and wide. And not the ideal situation for him. He seems to be at the peak of his T20 abilities, striking at 202 in this year’s IPL. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was a big hit as well, with him scoring 329 runs in 7 matches, at an average of 65, and a strike rate of 203, but all this might boil down to nothing, eventually.
One can just call it fate, but his chances, even if he goes on to get 400-run IPL season, look pretty weak to make it to the Indian team. For a player to be recognised, the team also needs to stand up, to make him look good.