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New Delhi: Going unsold in the first round of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction must have felt like a Deja Vu moment for Sarfaraz Khan. The Mumbai batter has been absent from the IPL scene since the 2023 stint with the Delhi Capitals, and for a long time on Tuesday, it looked like his exile from the cash-rich league would continue for the third successive year - until Chennai Super Kings (CSK) raised the paddle.
The five-time champions handed Sarfaraz a lifeline by signing the out-of-favour India batter for his base price of Rs 75 lakh in the mini players' auction in Abu Dhabi.
The 28-year-old flamboyant batter slammed a 22-ball 73 in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match just hours before the auction on Tuesday and was duly rewarded with his IPL contract for three years.
Sarfaraz expressed his happiness through a social media post thanking CSK for giving him a "new life". He also vowed to repay the faith shown in him by the Yellow Army.
"Thank you so much, CSK for giving me new life. I will make sure CSK will lift the 2026 title," the Mumbai batter wrote on his Instagram page.
Sarfaraz's last IPL appearance came for the Delhi Capitals in 2023 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, he failed to find buyers in the last two seasons.
The CSK move must have brought a huge sense of relief for the talented cricketer, who has fallen out of favour dramatically despite making a decent start to his Test career in 2024. Having been left out of India's Test squads throughout 2025, despite consistent performances in the domestic circuit, left him frustrated but determined to prove a point.
Sarfaraz worked on his fitness and shed close to five kilograms ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season, and the results were there to see for everyone. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Sarfaraz has scored 329 runs in seven games at a staggering strike rate of 203.08 and an average of 65.80.
Sarfaraz made his IPL debut for RCB in 2015 and has played for three franchises (RCB, DC and Punjab Kings) so far. CSK will be his fourth IPL team, and the 2026 edition might be his last shot at redemption.
In six Tests for India, he has scored 371 runs at an average of 37.10 and a strike rate of 74.94 with a highest score of 150.
