IPL 2025: Ayush Mhatre becomes CSK's youngest-ever player
What's the story
Promising 17-year-old batter Ayush Mhatre made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings against Mumbai Indians on April 20. Mhatre donned the iconic yellow jersey after MI elected to field in IPL 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium. Although he is the youngest player to debut for CSK in IPL 2025, Mhatre has already shown immense talent in practice sessions. His inclusion into the squad comes as part of CSK's plan to rejuvenate their campaign after disappointing outings.
Team changes
Mhatre replaces Tripathi in CSK's line-up
Mhatre replaced Rahul Tripathi in CSK's line-up, as confirmed by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the toss. This change was part of the adjustments made after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of IPL 2025 due to an elbow injury. The franchise had called up Mhatre as a replacement after his impressive performance during mid-season trials. His selection is part of CSK's broader strategy to reverse their current position (10th).
Pre-auction interest
CSK's early interest in Mhatre
Interestingly, CSK had expressed interest in Mhatre even before the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, they chose to wait until now to add him to their squad. Mhatre was picked after trials in Chennai with other possible options like Gujarat's Urvil Patel and Uttar Pradesh's Salman Nizar. Prithvi Shaw, who is out of favor with IPL teams, was also in the mix but wasn't picked in the end.
Information
Mhatre enters record books
At 17 years and 278 days, Mhatre is now the youngest-ever player to represent CSK in the IPL. This comes a day after the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became RR's youngest-ever player.
Knock
Mhatre slams 15-ball 32 against MI
CSK had another quiet start as they were 16/0 after three overs against MI. Rachin Ravindra's dismissal exposed the young Mhatre to the middle. The latter, who started off with a single, smashed Ashwani Kumar for two successive sixes. He showed the right intent with the bat inside the powerplay. Mhatre, who continued to counter-attack, was outfoxed by Deepak Chahar in the seventh over. He slammed a 15-ball 32 (4s-4 6s-2).
Profile
Who is Ayush Mhatre?
The 17-year-old Mhatre has made a name for himself in Mumbai's cricketing circles owing to his impressive domestic performance. In nine First-Class matches, he has scored 504 runs at 31.50, including two centuries and a fifty. He has also accumulated 458 runs in seven List A games at 65.42 with two hundreds to his name (SR: 135.50). Last year, he recorded notable scores of 181 against Nagaland and 148 against Saurashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.