CSK IPL 2026 Recruit Gives Glimpse of His Massive Six-Hitting Abilities in Pre-Season Camp [WATCH]

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) decided to focus on building the future ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season and spent big on acquiring uncapped promising youngsters.

Amongst them, one is talented Rajasthan wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma, who was bought for a staggering amount of INR 14.2 crores at the auction last December (joint most expensive uncapped player in IPL history alongside fellow CSK teammate Prashant Veer).

Touted as a possible replacement for MS Dhoni, who is in the twilight of his career, Kartik Sharma packs incredible power and he gave a testament to his massive six-hitting abilities in the CSK pre-season camp.

In some videos doing rounds on social media, the 19-year-old could be seen looking in good rhythm and dispatching balls over the boundary rope with ease.

Watch the videos of his shots below.

The Chennai franchise will be extremely happy with Kartik's form and will hope he can extend it when the season arrives, especially since he returned from a back injury suffered during the Mewar Cup earlier this year.

Will Kartik Sharma get a chance in CSK Playing XI for IPL 2026?

CSK roped in Kartik Sharma with the long-term goal to groom him as a replacement for MS Dhoni, given his wicketkeeping abilities and lower-order hitting - a position where the former CSK and India captain dominated in his prime days. However, CSK have also traded in Sanju Samson in the wicketkeeper-batter role and will naturally be the preference as the first-choice keeper in IPL 2026. Nonetheless, Sanju is primarily a top-order batter whereas Kartik is a six-hitting machine in the finisher's role and given his current touch, CSK will be tempted to try out the youngster in the lower order.

Furthermore, the 22-year-old has been in blistering form in the domestic circuit and can evolve into a key cog in the CSK setup if he can repay the management's faith. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025), Kartik Sharma scored 133 runs in five games at an impressive strike rate of over 160.

In the Mewar Cup too, Kartik had looked in sublime form with scores of 47 off 28, 47 off 27, 39* off 14 (retired hurt).

Previously, in Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT 2024-25), Kartik finished as the top-scorer for Rajasthan with 445 runs in eight innings at an impressive average of 55.62, comprising 26 sixes, most by any batter that season.

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