Courtesy: BCCI/IPL/Google
Ayush Mhatre, 17, one of the brightest young batting talents in India, who hails from Mumbai, is reportedly set to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The decision from the CSK team management is expected to be confirmed very soon, and the teenager will join the squad ahead of their away match against the big rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Notably, Ruturaj Gaikwad, 28, the captain of CSK, was ruled out of the IPL 2025 due to an elbow fracture after he was hit by a Tushar Desphande delivery during a match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati last month. With that, the CSK team management decided to give the captaincy reigns to MS Dhoni, 43, who has already led the franchise to five IPL titles before giving up the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, in a bid to usher in a transition of sorts.
Ayush Mhatre could be in line to make his IPL debut against MI on April 20
As per the sources associated with CSK, in a report published in Sportstar, Ayush Mhatre could be in line to make his IPL debut against MI on Sunday, April 20, following his arrival to the franchise in the build-up to the highly anticipated contest. It is important to note that CSK have already held a trial in Chennai to learn about the talent and the skill of the teenager, along with some of the top young cricketers in the domestic circuit.
It is understood that CSK team management picked Ayush Mhatre ahead of all the other players because of his ability to be aggressive, while his runs at the domestic level swayed them too. While the 17-year-old hasn’t played any professional T20 match, he has made nine appearances at the first-class level, scoring 504 runs with two hundreds, and in List A cricket, he has managed to accumulate 458 runs in seven matches with two hundreds to his name.
The source said the following about the new development, “The team would have preferred him to join as soon as possible, but there are a few formalities still pending. He should be able to link up with the side ahead of the game against MI at Wankhede Stadium.”
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