Did Chennai Super Kings (CSK) make a wrong move ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 mini auction? The multi-time IPL champion team released some of their experienced players to restore their squad ahead of IPL 2026 season. A released player of CSK played a stormy innings in a recent match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025). Should CSK keep some cash for the batter to secure his service again for the upcoming season ?
Rahul Tripathi played an absolute wonder innings
Rahul Tripathi is currently participating in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he is part of the Maharashtra team. A thrilling Group B match of the tournament was played in Jadavpur, Kolkata on December 8, 2025, where Maharashtra faced Goa. Forced to bat first after losing the toss, Maharashtra’s batsmen performed poorly. Captain Prithvi Shaw was dismissed for just 4 runs. Arshin Kulkarni (14) and Sahil Parikh (6) also performed poorly.
Consequently, the entire responsibility of the team fell on Rahul’s shoulders. However, he didn’t panic in the face of adversity, instead emerging as a warrior. Batting at number 5 for the team, he faced a total of 44 balls and managed to score an unbeaten 83 runs at a strike rate of 188.63. During this period, cricket fans witnessed 5 fours and 5 brilliant sixes from his bat.
CSK has released Rahul Tripathi ahead of IPL 2026. He was part of the team until last season, and during that time, he shared a good relationship with Dhoni. However, due to his poor performance, the franchise has distanced from him ahead of the upcoming season.
Talking about the result of the match, after losing the toss and batting first in Jadavpur, Maharashtra managed to score 161/7 in 20 overs thanks to Rahul Tripathi’s 83 runs. Chasing a target of 162 runs, Goa were bowled out for 146 in 19.3 overs. Maharashtra prevailed by 15 runs in this thrilling encounter. Rahul was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.