Chennai Super Kings are under fire for their handling of teenage batter Ayush Mhatre. On April 18, the 18-year-old suffered a serious tear in his left thigh muscle. It happened during CSK’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has now been ruled out of IPL 2026.
“Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out for the rest of IPL 2026 due to a left hamstring injury sustained while batting during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18,” CSK said in an official statement.
“Ayush’s injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks. We wish Ayush a speedy recovery,” it added.
In this match, Mhatre came to bat with a heavily bandaged knee. He was visibly limping at the start of the power play. Physios treated him twice on the pitch. Despite this, management allowed him to bat.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad drew heavy criticism for calling Mhatre for a quick single. The teenager was clearly incapable of running. He had to sprint in pain to avoid running out. He was fired at the very next ball.
The young man was then carried off the field by his physio and teammate. Batting coach Michael Hussey later confirmed that the hamstring tear was serious.
Critics and fans questioned why the “Retired Out” option was not used to protect him. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called the decision “sloppy”.
“Ayush Mhatre has been one of the stars this season. I don’t understand how they can treat him so casually. I was shocked. Everyone in the commentary box had microphones on the table and were watching in complete shock as the events unfolded. Very, very surprising,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Reaction on social networks
“Time for MS Dhoni to come as an opener and give a gift to CSK fans,” wrote an optimistic Chennai fan. However, the rest looked angry and frustrated.
“It’s not Ayush out of IPL but CSK out of the tournament. The remaining 8 matches are just formalities we have to do,” commented another fan.
Another frustrated fan wrote: “Shame on you! Deepak Chahar who was so mismanaged here goes to MI and plays two full seasons! And here we lose all our main players every game! The fans could do better than the team management! Find ways to hurt Ruta, Sanja, Dube, walk out and go home.”
“Kudos to Ruturaji Gaikwad for making him run out with an injury. Throw out Stephen Fleming,” cried another frustrated fan.
“As a fan I would like to say this, corporate CSK is the worst when it comes to injuries to their players! Learn from other teams and improve. Why don’t you report injuries to Sarfaraz and Sanju too? Atleast let them escape social media abuse!!! Pls consider,” chimed in another angry fan.
ČSK’s injury list has grown rapidly this season. Khaleel Ahmed has a quadriceps tear. Nathan Ellis and Dewald Brevis are also unavailable. Questions also remain over MS Dhoni’s calf injury.
“Ayush Mhatre was the only batsman in the team who looked after us to get off to a good start. Hopefully he gets wet soon. Urvil Patel should come into the team,” suggested a fan.
