Priyansh Arya and Ayush Mhatre (BCCI/IPL Photo) CHENNAI: A new generation of top-order batsmen has been garnering attention in the IPL recently with their bold approach. While 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has emerged as the poster boy of this Gen Z crop, he is no lone ranger. Two more young willow riders enter the picture as serious contenders for bigger things in the future.It was the story of two young guns – Priyansh Arya and Ayush Mhatre during Punjab Kings’ five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday. While 18-year-old Mhatre powered CSK to 209 with a 43-ball 73 with his smart pull play, 24-year-old Arya started the PBKS chase in style. The opener’s whirlwind 39 off just 11 balls at a staggering strike rate of 354.5 took the game away from CSK early. Both debuted last year and enjoyed breakout seasons. Now in their second IPL campaign, they started bright enough to catch the eye of former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who heaped praise on the “Gen Z players who put on the batting festivities”.“Both (Arya and Mhatre) batted brilliantly. The way these ‘Gen Z’ batsmen played is changing our mindset. And I absolutely enjoyed watching them bat. I also expect a lot more ‘Gen Z’ bowlers, I want more new bowlers to emerge,” Ashwin said.
Watch
Shashank Singh on Punjab’s strong start, Priyansh’s growth and team mentality | IPL 2026Ashwin, a former CSK stalwart, felt Mhatre knocked at No.3 and the shots he played were the silver lining in the five-time champions’ defeat of PBKS, midway through a season already riddled with early problems for CSK.“The way Mhatre has been batting, it should be the happiest news and a big positive for CSK. They have found a master player for the next 10 years. CSK didn’t get him in the auction, they signed him as an injury replacement. He showed what he can do, the way he played and took Marc Jansen to the boundary, it was amazing,” added Ashwin.Arya’s mental toughness helps PBKSDuring his foray against CSK, Arya operated with the freedom of knowing there was batting depth to support him. Therefore, he swung at everything that came his way with fearless intent and even perished trying to strike big.Talking about his young teammate, Shashank Singh said it is Arya’s “strong mentality” that sets him apart. “What we really liked about Priyansh as a team last year is that he is very tough mentally. He knows his role. He knows the areas where he can score runs. He is very young but the way he has matured in terms of batting is fantastic,” Shashank said.
