Ayush Mhatre was unsold in the mega auction last year, and could be roped in as a replacement if a registered CSK player gets injured or becomes unavailable. In what could be a game-changer for both Ayush Mhatre and Chennai Super Kings, the 17-year-old Mumbai opener has been called up for a mid-season trial by the franchise. If successful, Mhatre could be included in the CSK squad at the last-minute for the ongoing IPL 2025 season.
Mhatre was unsold in the mega auction last year in Jeddah, and could only be roped in as a replacement if a registered CSK player gets injured or becomes unavailable.
CSK managing director reveals development
CSK managing director Kasi Viswanathan informed The Times of India, “Yes, we’ve called him for trials. He has impressed our talent scouts. No (injuries); if there is any need, we will do that. We are not picking anybody, it is just a trial.”
The opener was also asked to report for trials in November as well, before the IPL mega auction. He was recently in action in February during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy semi-final fixture vs Vidarbha in Nagpur, where he managed nine and 18 runs in both innings. He was also Mumbai’s fourth-highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy campaign, with 471 runs in eight matches, and also slammed two tons.
He hogged the spotlight with a match-winning ton against Saurashtra in a group fixture at the Vijay Hazare Trophy in January, and was also his side’s highest run-scorer in the tournament, hammering 458 runs in seven matches with an average of 65.42.
CSK, on the other hand, have had a patchy start to the new Indian Premier League season. They are currently seventh in the standings with one win and two defeats. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side have lacked a cutting edge on top of the order. Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi and Gaikwad have failed to click as CSK’s top-order batters and the inclusion of someone like Mhatre could add fresh impetus to the side. But there has been no update from CSK if any player has been injured or will be unavailable midway through the ongoing season.
