The youngster has been sensational for Mumbai in his debut domestic season
Chennai Super Kings are in shambles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 to say the least. For the first time in their history, the five-time IPL champions have lost five matches in a row.
To add to their woes, their designated captain Ruturaj Gaikwad suffered an elbow injury that ruled him out of the entire season. As a consequence of this, MS Dhoni had to be called upon again to be given the reins for a third stint and twice for a responsibility he didn’t ask for.
Their demoralising campaign has drawn heavy criticism from even the most loyal of supporters following their 103/9 in 20 overs at Chepauk against Kolkata Knight Riders which had 61 dot balls.
This had made them a target of mockery with even KKR taking a dig at them by using the BCCI green initiative.
But there is hope on the horizon. CSK have roped in Mumbai teenage batting sensation Ayush Mhatre as Gaikwad’s replacement for the remainder of the season.
The 17-year-old is yet to make his T20 debut at the senior level and has a big chance of making it to the playing XI straightaway against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium.
However, the young opener has to wade through a lot of competition, specifically in the form of experienced India players.
The likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar all can play in the middle-order but CSK seems to be fixated on the Kiwi combo of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. The likelihood of dropping Rachin is not realistic as the left-hander has been in the form of his life this year and has begun the tournament with scores of 65 not out, 41 and 36 against Punjab Kings.
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Conway warmed up the bench for a while before playing a fine knock of 69 against Punjab Kings. However, given the amount of inconsistency within the rest of their squad and constant tinkering with the playing XI, Mhatre could well be in after impressing the management in the mid-season trials.
Mhatre is an attacking batter and can work wonders in the opening slot much like many other Mumbai openers in recent times.
The teenager has a strike rate of 135.5 in his List-A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 with a tally of 458 runs from seven matches. He broke multiple records with his stunning 181 against Nagaland to become the youngest player to score 150-plus score in List-A cricket.
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