Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have signed Australian pacer Spencer Johnson to replace Nathan Ellis, who is out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Johnson, who withdrew from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 season for personal reasons, has previously played for Gujarat Titans (GT) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. CSK acquired Johnson for INR 1.5 Crore as Ellis’ replacement for the upcoming TATA Indian Premier League (IPL).
Spencer Johnson, who played for KKR last season, participated in four games, securing one wicket with best figures of 1/42. In the IPL 2024 season, he represented Gujarat Titans in five matches, taking four wickets with an economy rate of 9.4. Johnson now shoulders the responsibility of filling in for Ellis, who has 19 wickets from 17 IPL matches and was retained by CSK ahead of the 2026 season after being bought for Rs 2 crore in the 2025 mega auction.
With CSK opening their IPL 2026 campaign on March 30 against the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, they aim to bounce back from their last-place finish in the 2025 season. CSK’s upcoming matches include facing Punjab Kings on April 3 and Delhi Capitals on April 11 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium before clashing with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Bengaluru on April 5.
