Chennai Super Kings have signed left-arm fast bowler Spencer Johnson as a replacement for the injured Nathan Ellis ahead of IPL 2026. Johnson has featured in nine IPL matches since making his debut with Gujarat Titans, who brought him to the IPL with a winning bid of INR 10 crore in the 2024 auction.
Ellis, 31, was ruled out of the entire season after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury during a domestic one-day final on March 11. The five-time champions have moved swiftly to bring in Johnson, who turned out for Kolkata Knight Riders last year, playing four matches.
Incidentally, Johnson was announced as a direct signing by Pakistan Super League franchise Quetta Gladiators. Johnson then pulled out of the PSL citing personal reasons before the Gladiators replaced him with Alzarri Joseph early last week.
Johnson has represented Australia 13 times across the two white-ball formats. In T20Is, he has picked up 14 wickets from eight matches at an economy rate of 8.96. In the IPL, he has five wickets at an average of 56.80 and an economy of 10.39. He will join CSK at a price of INR 1.5 crore.
CSK begin their campaign against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30.
