The troubles of Chennai Super Kings are not showing any signs of diminishing in IPL 2026. Amidst the continuous injuries to players, the franchise has decided to include Karnataka’s young all-rounder McNeil Hadley Noronha in the team. According to reports, Noronha has been selected as a replacement for injured Ramakrishna Ghosh.

Ramakrishna Ghosh suffered a fracture in his right leg in the match played against Mumbai Indians on 2 May. This match was also the debut match of his IPL career. During the match, he caught everyone’s attention by taking a brilliant catch of Will Jacques, but he felt trouble after falling in the follow-through while bowling. Later investigation confirmed the fracture. Chennai Super Kings issued an official statement saying that Ghosh will no longer be able to participate further in IPL 2026.

Who is McNeil Noronha?

McNeil Noronha is 24 years old. He is considered the emerging all-rounder of Karnataka in domestic cricket. He performed brilliantly for Mangaluru Dragons in Maharaja Trophy 2025. Noronha scored 253 runs in 13 matches and his strike rate was 148.82. During this period he also hit 19 sixes. Apart from batting, he also showed excellence in off-spin bowling and took 10 wickets. His performance against Hubli Tigers in the final match was quite impressive. After this performance, he got a chance in the Karnataka team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Also read- Oldest Players in IPL: Who is the oldest player in IPL history, this player dominates the field even at the age of 43

Continuous injuries increase CSK’s worries

Chennai Super Kings has been one of the teams most affected by injuries this season. Many key players of the team have already been out. The absence of Indian players like Khalil Ahmed and Ayush Mhatre has weakened the team. Apart from this, fast bowler Nathan Ellis also remained out for a long time due to injury. Spencer Johnson also struggled with fitness problems. Team’s experienced player MS Dhoni is also said to be suffering from calf strain since the beginning of the season.

Also read- Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history, became the fastest batsman to hit 100 sixes in T20 cricket.

Stephen Fleming praised Ghosh

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming praised Ramakrishna Ghosh and said that there was rapid improvement in his game in the last few weeks. Fleming said that Ghosh was improving in both batting and bowling and was becoming a real all-rounder.