After much speculation, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have finalized Ayush Mhatre as the replacement player for Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad has been ruled out of the ongoing 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season due to an elbow fracture.
According to a Cricbuzz report, CSK, struggling for form and consistency in this IPL, made the decision late on Saturday, April 13. Mhatre has been told to join the CSK squad as early as possible, but the 17-year-old can only join a couple of days later. Incidentally, Mhatre, who set his base price at 30 lakh, went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
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"He will join the squad in Mumbai in a couple of days," a source close to CSK management told Cricbuzz.
Currently, the five-time IPL Champions squad is in Lucknow for their seventh match, which will be played on Monday, April 14, at the Ekana Stadium. CSK is languishing at the bottom of the IPL points table with only two points onboard. They have lost five games on the trot and are in need of a desperate revival.
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How did CSK zero in on Ayush Mhatre as the replacement player for Gaikwad
For the unversed, CSK decided to zero in on Mhatre based on his performance in trials. Along with the 17-year-old, Urvil Patel of Gujarat and Salman Nizar of Kerala also came to Chennai for trials. It is to be noted that Prithvi Shaw was also in the reckoning, but the team finalized Mhatre as the replacement for Gaikwad.
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The teenager is highly rated in Mumbai's cricketing circle. In nine first-class matches, he has amassed 504 runs, with two centuries and a fifty. In seven List A games, the 17-year-old has scored 458 runs, with two centuries to his name. Mhatre debuted in a first-class cricket match last October, and already many of the experts say he is the next big thing in Indian cricket.
