Chennai Super Kings have signed Akash Madhwal as a replacement for the injured Ayush Mhatre for the remainder of the 2026 Indian Premier League season. Mhatre, India’s Under-19 World Cup captain, has had a good start to the campaign, scoring two fifties in six matches.
However, Ayush has been ruled out of the ongoing IPL after suffering a left hamstring injury while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 27th match, causing a setback to CSK’s top-order plans.
The franchise was forced to regroup as injuries hit their bowling unit as well. Khaleel Ahmed has been sidelined with a serious quadriceps tear, while overseas seamer Nathan Ellis is also unavailable, leaving the team short of pace options.
Against this backdrop, Madhwal’s signing adds experience and familiarity with IPL conditions. A right-arm fast bowler, Madhwal has previously represented Mumbai Indians in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and Rajasthan Royals in 2025. He rose to prominence during his time at Mumbai where he was the key death bowler under Rohit Sharma.
The 2023 season remains his most impressive. Madhwal picked up 14 wickets in eight matches as Mumbai Indians made it to the play-offs, consistently delivering in the high-pressure phases of the innings. His decisive performance came in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants where he returned figures of 5 for 5 – the best bowling figures recorded in an IPL play-off match.
Overall, Madhwal appeared in 17 IPL matches and took 23 wickets, including a five-wicket haul. The 32-year-old from Roorkee in Uttarakhand took an unconventional route to the IPL. A civil engineer by qualification, he played tennis ball cricket until his mid-twenties before breaking through on the domestic circuit. This grounding is reflected in his control over the death, with his ability to execute yorkers at pace becoming a key part of his bowling.
Madhwal joins Chennai Super Kings for Rs 30 crore as the franchise looks to retain its resources heading into the second half of the season.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
23 Apr 2026 16:02 IST
