Published on: Apr 20, 2026 5:19 pm IST|Updated on: Apr 20, 2026 5:19 pm IST
Ayush Mhatre, Chennai Super Kings’ rising star, has been officially ruled out of the Tata IPL 2026 for three weeks after suffering a hamstring tear against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The setback is a major blow to CSK’s campaign, with batting coach Michael Hussey admitting the injury “looks pretty bad” and calling Mhatre a “big, big loss.”
Mhatre, who came in as an impact substitute, was looking in fine touch before pulling up while attempting a quick run. He had to be assisted off the field, leaving fans and teammates concerned. His absence will deprive CSK of a dynamic middle-order option who has impressed with his aggressive stroke play in limited opportunities.
Batting coach Michael Hussey confirmed the severity of the injury, stating:
“Ayush Mhatre will be a big, big loss for us. The injury looks pretty bad, and we will miss his energy and batting depth in the middle order.”
CSK’s injury list keeps mounting in the Tata IPL 2026. It all started with an injury to Aussie pacer Nathan Ellis, who was ruled out ahead of the start of the season. Ellis never joined the squad, and the team management replaced him with his countryman Spencer Johnson, who himself remains unavailable due to injury. The left-arm pacer was never fit, even at the time the CSK management announced him as a replacement, and has not even joined the squad as of now.
CSK’s premier left-arm pacer K. Khaleel Ahmed was also ruled out of the tournament last week after a quadriceps injury. Haleel was the leading wicket-taker among pacers last season for CSK and had a monumental role to play this season as well. However, in the 5 games the left-arm pacer played this season, he managed only 2 scalps at an economy rate of 8.67.
The biggest injury setback for the 5-time champions is the injury to MS Dhoni. The 44-year-old wicket-keeper batter is suffering a calf strain, which has kept him away from this IPL season thus far. Batting coach Michael Hussey gave his words on MS Dhoni’s current situation ahead of the CSK vs SRH clash in Hyderabad. Hussey stated,
“It’s about building confidence in his running. He needs to be able to scurry back for those quick twos at the back end of the innings.”
Without MS Dhoni, the Super Kings have managed to win 2 of their 6 games played this season and have succumbed to 4 losses. Both CSK wins have come at home against KKR and DC.
They say someone’s loss is another’s gain. With Mhatre now unavailable for at least 3 weeks, doors are open for 27-year-old Gujarat’s swashbuckling batter, Urvil Patel. Urvil came in as an injury replacement last season for CSK and played three games. In his very first outing in CSK’s yellow, Urvil smashed an 11-ball 31 against KKR at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
His pyrotechnics continued in his third outing for the team with a whirlwind 37 off 19 deliveries against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With only 3 IPL games to his name, Urivil has scored 68 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 212.5, a rate that the current lot of CSK batters, including MS Dhoni, could only dream of. The 27-year-old should be an apt fit for CSK’s no. 3 position in place of Ayush Mhatre.
After four losses and two wins from six games, the Chennai Super Kings are struggling to get their campaign going without hiccups. They next play their arch rivals and fellow 5-time champions Mumbai Indians, in Mumbai on April 23. Check out the next 5 games of CSK in Tata IPL 2025.
Tags: IPL 2026