Spencer Johnson said his stint with Chennai Super Kings has been one of the most special experiences of his franchise cricket career, praising the crowd, the dressing-room unity and head coach Stephen Fleming ahead of the side’s clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 18.
The Australian fast bowler, who joined the CSK setup as a replacement for Nathan Ellis for IPL 2026, said the atmosphere around the team sets it apart from other franchises around the world. He described the support from fans as unbelievable and said the group stays together in a way that makes the environment feel different from the more transactional feel of franchise cricket.
“Well, you can hear the crowd now. It’s unbelievable. I think it can be a little bit transactional playing for so many different teams, but coming here, Fleming has been awesome. The whole group sticks together, so it’s very special,” Johnson said. For a player who has moved across leagues and teams regularly, the warmth around Chennai has clearly left a mark.
Johnson has played only one match in IPL 2026 so far, taking one wicket and conceding 39 runs in four overs. He said his body recovered well after his previous outing and that it was good to feel the extra intensity of a live match again after time away from competition. “Yes, it recovered all well, thank you. It was nice to get that extra intensity the other night. It's a little bit different from bowling in the nets, but no, I recovered well,” he said.
He added that he was not necessarily expecting to play but had kept himself ready. Johnson also said he had been watching Jamie Overton closely and trying to follow the same approach. “I probably wasn’t expecting to play, but I'm always making sure I am ready to play. And we saw how good Overton was, and I was kind of just trying to follow what he did and how he did it,” he said.
Johnson said that once he got the all clear in Australia to come over, “the handbrake was off,” and he has been trying to bowl as fast as he can. That makes his role at CSK worth watching as the team looks to finish strongly at home, a point he backed in comments captured in the build-up to the SRH meeting. The question now is how much of an impact he can make if called on again, with his pace, recovery and confidence all becoming part of CSK’s late-season equation.
