Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a heavy blow on Tuesday when young batsman Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a hamstring injury. Mhatre, who led India to the U-19 World Cup trophy in 2026, has been a mainstay for CSK at number three since last season and has come into his own in the ongoing season.
The injury occurred during CSK’s last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad when he was seen clutching his left hamstring while attempting a second run on 18 April. The right-hander was treated several times by physio Tommy Simsek before limping off the pitch with the help of teammate Ramakrishna Ghosh and Simsek.
Mhatre underwent an examination on Monday. The franchise took to social media to announce the loss of Mhatre for the remainder of the 2026 season. “Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out for the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a left hamstring injury sustained while batting during a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18. Ayush’s injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks,” CSK wrote on their social media.
5 players who can replace Ayush Mhatre in CSK
- Sarfaraz Khan: Playing for CSK for the first time in IPL 2026, Sarfaraz has already impressed the management with his batting and fielding in the ongoing season. A middle-order batsman, Sarfaraz usually bats at No.5 and has so far scored 147 runs in six games, including a quickfire fifty against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Added to this, Sarfaraz’s ability to play spinners would be invaluable at the top. If Sarfaraz bats at No. 3, then Dewald Brevis would go at No. 4 and Shivam Dube at No. 5 or 6.
- Shaikh Rasheed: Another Indian U-19 star, Shaik Rasheed has been with CSK since last season and has so far warmed the bench in IPL 2026. A technically sound right-handed batsman, Rasheed opened the batting with Mhatra in five matches for CSK in IPL 2025. Batting at No. 3 for his state ability, Rasheed provides stability and Andhra Pradesh also has stability.
- Karthik Sharma: During the IPL 2026 mini-auction, CSK invested the same ₹14.2 crore each for two uncapped Indian players. One of them is Rajasthan’s Kartik Sharma. The wicket-keeper batsman, known for his bright hitting, boasts a strike rate of over 160 in T20s for his state. With CSK unlikely to tinker with their opening combination – Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad – Kartik would be more than capable of handling the power play.
- Andre Siddharth: Another youngster, 18-year-old Andre Siddarth, is widely regarded as the next big star from Tamil Nadu and has similar qualities to Mhatre’s stability and innings acceleration. However, Siddarth is yet to play a T20 for his state side.
- Anmolpreet Singh: In case CSK look to bring in someone outside the current squad, the five-time champions can look at former Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians batsman Anmolpreet Singh. Despite being in top form in the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (with 349 runs at a strike rate of 175.37), the batter for Punjab did not sell at the auction. He has already played 81 T20s for Punjab, scoring over 1700 runs, including a hundred. In the IPL, Anmolpreet played nine games and scored 139 runs. He can also bowl a few overs if required.
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