Chennai Super Kings have named Karnataka all-rounder Macneil Noronha as a replacement for injured uncapped player Ramakrishna Ghosh for the remainder of the 2026 Indian Premier League season.
Noronha joins the franchise for Rs 30 lakh after earning recognition in domestic cricket with a string of strong performances. The 24-year-old was recently awarded the MA Chidambaram Trophy at the NAMAN Awards for finishing as the highest run-scorer in the 2024-25 Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy.
His domestic exploits also earned him a call-up to Karnataka’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad, where he featured in three matches. In his most recent outing in December 2025 against Tripura, Noronha impressed with a brisk 34 off 21 deliveries and also chipped in with a wicket.
WHAT HAPPENED TO RAMAKRISHNA GHOSH?
The move comes after Ghosh was ruled out of the remainder of the season with a right foot injury sustained during Chennai’s clash against Mumbai Indians on May 3.
Ghosh had only just made his long-awaited IPL debut in that match, playing a role in Chennai’s commanding eight-wicket win. Introduced into the attack in a high-pressure contest, the youngster returned figures of 1 for 24 from his three overs, claiming the important wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, who had looked dangerous after racing to 21 off just 12 balls.
Despite the setback, Chennai will hope Noronha can provide useful depth as they continue their push for a play-off spot.
CSK’S PLAY-OFF HOPES
After a difficult start that saw them lose their opening three matches, Chennai have revived their campaign with six wins from their last eight games to put themselves firmly back in contention.
Their next challenge comes against Lucknow Super Giants on May 15, a fixture they will view as a must-win before wrapping up the league stage against SunRisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans.
With multiple play-off contenders still set to take points off one another in the coming days, 18 points is widely expected to be the qualification benchmark. That means Chennai will likely need to win all three of their remaining league fixtures to secure a top-four finish.
Momentum, however, appears to be with the five-time champions, who have rediscovered their rhythm at the right time after a shaky start to the campaign.
Noronha now walks into a side still fighting for its season, with Chennai hoping the uncapped all-rounder can make an impact if called upon during the business end of the tournament.
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