IPL 2025: Ayush Mhatre to join CSK as Ruturaj Gaikwad’s replace

The injured Ruturaj Gaikwad will be replaced by opening batsman Ayush Mhatre for the rest of the 2025 Indian Premier League season by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The latter suffered an elbow injury that prevented him from playing the rest of the 2025 Indian Premier League. Prior to his campaign being curtailed by injury, he led CSK in the first five games. In their most recent match, on April 11, against the Kolkata Knight Riders, MS Dhoni was in control of the team.

Interestingly, Mhatre made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the 2024–25 Irani Cup at the age of 17. In the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, he scored 176 against Maharashtra, smashing his first-ever first-class century a few weeks later. Mhatre surpassed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s previous record to become the youngest player in men’s List A cricket to score 150 or more. The gifted batsman has amassed 504 runs at a strike rate of 72.93 and an average of 31.50 from nine first-class cricket matches. With an average of 65.42 and a strike rate of 135.50, he has amassed 458 runs from seven List A matches. Between the two forms, he has two hundred and fifty.

CSK’s ruling validated the reports that followed.

Cricbuzz claims that the five-time winners, who are now at the bottom of the IPL points standings, made their choice late on Saturday, April 13. He has been invited to join the team right away, but it will only be a few days before he can join MS Dhoni and company. In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Mhatre was unsold at the IPL 2025 mega-auction, despite having a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

“He will join the squad in Mumbai in a couple of days,” was informed by a source close to CSK management. Mhatre was called up by CSK after the team sent him to Chennai for tryouts along with two other players, Salman Nizar of Kerala and Urvil Patel of Gujarat. The squad is believed to have chosen Mhatre as a replacement for Gaikwad, but Prithvi Shaw, who is currently unpopular with IPL teams, was also a possibility.

When CSK plays the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday, April 14, they want to bounce back from their recent five-game losing streak.