Chennai Super Kings have signed Australia fast bowler Spencer Johnson as a replacement for injured compatriot Nathan Ellis ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The IPL confirmed on Tuesday that the 30-year-old left-arm pacer has joined the franchise for Rs 1.5 crore.
Johnson was initially set to feature in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after being picked by Quetta Gladiators, but withdrew from the tournament citing personal reasons. He now joins a pace attack that includes Khaleel Ahmed, Matt Henry and Jamie Overton, bolstering the Chennai side led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
His move marks another instance of players switching from the PSL to the IPL this season. Earlier, Zimbabwe national cricket team fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani joined Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, while Sri Lanka national cricket team all-rounder Dasun Shanaka signed with Rajasthan Royals in place of Sam Curran.
The trend has drawn a response from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who said the board would take action against players breaching contractual obligations. “We will take action against those players according to the rules. There was a case last year too, and the same will happen this time,” Naqvi said at a press conference.
He added that while the overlap between the IPL and PSL calendars continues for a second consecutive year, the scheduling clash was not the primary concern. “We could not afford to postpone the PSL because we have no other window in the year,” he said.
Last year, the PCB suspended South Africa’s Corbin Bosch for one year after he withdrew from the PSL to join Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025.
