Chennai Super Kings have roped in left-arm fast bowler Spencer Johnson as a replacement for the injured Nathan Ellis ahead of IPL 2026. Johnson has played nine matches in the league since his debut season with Gujarat Titans, who secured his services with a winning bid of INR 10 crore at the 2024 auction.
Ellis, aged 31, has been ruled out of the entire tournament after aggravating a hamstring injury during a domestic one-day final on March 11. The five-time champions acted quickly to secure Johnson, who represented Kolkata Knight Riders last season and featured in four matches.
Notably, Johnson had earlier been confirmed as a direct signing by Pakistan Super League side Quetta Gladiators. However, he later withdrew from the PSL due to personal reasons, following which the franchise brought in Alzarri Joseph as his replacement early last week.
Johnson has represented Australia 13 times across the two white-ball formats. In T20Is, he has claimed 14 wickets from eight appearances with an economy rate of 8.96. In IPL matches so far, he has taken five wickets at an average of 56.80 and an economy rate of 10.39. He will link up with CSK for a fee of INR 1.5 crore.
CSK are scheduled to open their IPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30.
