3 Teams Likely To Pursue Lungi Ngidi In IPL 2026

South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was one of the few positives in an otherwise disappointing performance during the first T20I against India in Cuttack on December 9. The 29-year-old relied on his experience and skill to trouble a strong Indian batting unit, finishing with impressive figures of 3/31 from his four overs.

Ngidi is no stranger to Indian conditions, having featured in 16 IPL matches throughout his career. He has also enjoyed a strong 2025 T20I season for South Africa, claiming 11 wickets in 10 games at an average below 24 and an economy rate of 7.40. The pacer was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning campaign in IPL 2025, contributing four wickets in two appearances.

Although RCB released him ahead of the new season, Ngidi is expected to attract significant interest at the IPL 2026 auction despite carrying a base price of ₹2 crore. The auction is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16.

Here Are The 3 Teams Likely To Pursue Lungi Ngidi In IPL 2026:

#3 CSK

Lungi Ngidi fits several key requirements for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) if the five-time champions decide to pursue him in the IPL 2026 auction. To begin with, the 29-year-old already has a successful history with the franchise, having represented CSK from 2018 to 2021 and playing a crucial role in their 2018 title-winning campaign.

Ngidi impressed with 11 wickets in seven games in IPL 2018 and added 14 more in the 2020–21 seasons. His slower-ball variations also make him a strong fit for Chepauk’s slow, two-paced surface. From CSK’s perspective, the pace attack faced major issues last season. While Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj were effective with the new ball, they struggled at the death.

Matheesha Pathirana, on the other hand, was mostly used in the latter half of the innings and has now been released. Ngidi’s capability to deliver both in the powerplay and in the death overs would bring much-needed balance and firepower to CSK’s otherwise one-dimensional pace unit.

#2 LSG

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were one of the most imbalanced teams in IPL 2025, with a powerful batting lineup but a severely underperforming bowling unit. Despite having multiple match-winners with the bat, they failed to reach the playoffs largely due to their ineffective bowling attack.

As the season went on, their spinners lost impact, and the pacers ranked among the poorest performers of the tournament. Even with the addition of experienced seamer Mohammed Shami, LSG still lack depth in fast bowling, especially after releasing Akash Deep and Shamar Joseph and trading away Shardul Thakur.

To make matters worse, frequent injury issues surrounding Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav further increase the need for a dependable quick. In this context, signing someone like Lungi Ngidi becomes even more crucial. His ability to bowl cutters and slower variations makes him an ideal fit for the typically slow, low Ekana pitch, which also features larger boundaries that complement his style.

#1 KKR

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) underperformed in IPL 2025, falling well short of expectations just a year after their dominant title triumph. One of the biggest reasons for their decline was the absence of dependable fast bowlers in both the powerplay and death overs. Although Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora showed promise, they are still developing as all-phase T20 bowlers.

Following their eighth-place finish, KKR released an extensive list of nine players ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, including six overseas cricketers. Notably, they parted ways with three foreign pacers — Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, and Andre Russell.

With their previous overseas pace strategy centered on raw aggression, KKR might benefit more from a variation-heavy bowler like Lungi Ngidi. His style complements slower conditions and would enable the franchise to prepare home pitches that favor spin, playing into the strengths of their key bowlers, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.