India, April 6 -- Chennai Super Kings' handling of Prashant Veer is quickly turning into one of the strangest tactical stories of IPL 2026. Before the season, CSK spent a massive Rs.14.2 crore on him, buying not just a left-handed batter but a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder whose value was supposed to lie in balance, flexibility and long-term utility.

Two matches into his CSK career, that logic already looks badly compromised. Veer has played against the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but CSK have not given him a single over in either game. For a player bought on dual-skill promise, that is not just underuse. It is a case of a franchise paying premium money for a two-discipline cricketer and then deploying only one ...