Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host 7 budding young West Indies cricketers for training at the CSK academy from December 1 onwards. Cricket West Indies has announced that the youth will receive specialized instruction at the Chennai Super Kings Academy to help them improve their skills.
Previously, the Chennai Super Kings received criticism for allowing Rachin Ravindra to practice at their academy ahead of the Test series against India. Ravindra was New Zealand’s leading run scorer in their 3-0 series victory. The left-handed hitter scored 256 runs in three Test matches, averaging 51.20, including a century.
Robin Uthappa, a former India batsman, blasted the Chennai Super Kings for allowing Rachin Ravindra to practice at their academy in Chennai. Uthappa stated that CSK should support its franchise players, but national interests should come first, particularly ahead of the home Test series.
“Rachin Ravindra came here and practiced at the CSK Academy. CSK is a beautiful franchise that will always look after its franchise players but a line has to be drawn where the interest of the country comes ahead of your franchise players, especially when he is a foreign player and comes and plays against our country,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Rachin was bought back by CSK in the recent IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Seven West Indies Players to Train at CSK Academy
Cricket The West Indies have launched a development program in which seven young cricketers would attend a specialist training camp at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in India. The players will be accompanied by West Indies Academy’s head coach, Ramesh Subasinghe, and assistant coach, Rohan Nurse.
Three contractual franchise players, Kirk McKenzie, Matthew Nandu, and Kevin Wickham, along with current and former West Indies Academy players Teddy Bishop and Jewel Andrew, and former Under-19 players Jordan Johnson and Ackeem Auguste, will travel to India for the two-week intense training.
“CWI is committed to providing opportunities for our emerging players in overseas conditions. In this case, the Chennai Academy will host these seven batsmen and aim to equip them with skills and experience in navigating spinning conditions.
Our coaches will be on hand to ensure that the learnings in the period can be consolidated and extended to other players in the region through the academy,” Miles Bascombe, Director of Cricket at Cricket West Indies (CWI) stated.
The group will sail for India on November 29 for the training session, which will last from December 1 to 14. This is the first time Cricket West Indies has sent academy players abroad for training. It is a significant step towards investing in the future of West Indian cricket.