CSK loses Ayush Mhatre

Chennai Super Kings have lost Ayush Mhatre for the rest of Indian Premier League 2026 after the 18-year-old injured his left hamstring. (ndtvprofit.com) CSK said Mhatre picked up the injury during the Sunrisers Hyderabad match on April 18 and will need six to 12 weeks of rehabilitation. Cricbuzz reported the franchise confirmed the setback on Tuesday, April 21. (ndtvprofit.com) (cricbuzz.com) The timing hurts because Mhatre had become CSK’s leading run-scorer this season. NDTV Profit said he hit two fifties in six outings, and ESPNcricinfo’s updated IPL record lists him on 441 runs in 13 IPL matches for CSK at a strike rate of 183.75. (ndtvprofit.com) (espncricinfo.com) Mhatre had already shaped several of CSK’s early innings this month. He made 73 off 43 balls against Punjab Kings on April 2, 59 against Delhi Capitals on April 10, and 38 against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 13 before his last appearance against Hyderabad. (ndtvprofit.com) (espncricinfo.com) That leaves CSK to rework a batting group that already leaned on youth and patchwork availability. NDTV Profit has reported the team also started the season without pacer Nathan Ellis, while Mhatre’s absence further reduces top-order options. (ndtvprofit.com 1) (ndtvprofit.com 2) Mhatre’s rise had been fast even by IPL standards. The official IPL site says CSK signed him during IPL 2025 as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad for INR 30 lakh, and he made 240 runs in seven matches that season. (iplt20.com) Before that, he had broken through in domestic cricket for Mumbai. ESPNcricinfo says the right-handed top-order batter, born on July 16, 2007, scored 181 off 117 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 31, 2024 to become the youngest player to make 150 or more in a List A innings. (espncricinfo.com) CSK’s official IPL squad page still lists specialist batters including Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis and Sarfaraz Khan, with wicketkeeper-batters MS Dhoni, Kartik Sharma and Urvil Patel also in the group. Matchday combinations now matter more because Mhatre had been one of the few batters giving them quick starts. (iplt20.com) (ndtvprofit.com) For Mhatre, the season stops just as his first full IPL campaign had turned into a breakout run. For CSK, the remaining weeks now start without the batter who had become their most productive scorer. (iplt20.com) (ndtvprofit.com)