Published on: Apr 22, 2026 4:51 pm IST|Updated on: Apr 22, 2026 4:52 pm IST
Another injury blow has struck the 5-time champions Chennai Super Kings’ camp as young batter Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the remainder of Tata IPL 2026 with a left hamstring injury. The 18-year-old Mumbai batter picked up the injury while batting in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18 in Hyderabad.
The CSK team management took to social media, posted about Ayush’s injury and wished him speedy recovery.
“Ayush’s injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks. We wish Ayush a speedy recovery.”
Mhatre walked in as the Impact Player for Gurjapneet Singh in the second over of CSK’s chase of 195 against SRH. He was blazing away on 30 off just 12 balls when disaster struck—clutching his left hamstring after a quick double on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s call. The pain was immediate, and the CSK physio rushed in to check on him.
With Mhatre now unavailable for the rest of the season, here we have handpicked three names who could join CSK’s squad as an injury replacement for Mhatre.
The Karnataka veteran is one of the most experienced players in IPL history. It was unfortunate that he went unsold in the mini auctions ahead of this season, but bumped into the RAPP sheet. His last IPL stint came in the previous season with his home team, i.e., the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he came in as an injury replacement for his fellow state-mate Devdutt Paddikal.
Agarwal is a well-suited top-order batter who can open the innings and can even bat at no 3. What makes him a crucial cog is the ability to adapt the game and play according to the situation. He can go berserk and, at the same time, can maneuver innings if wickets fall early. Talking about his IPL numbers, Mayank has experience of 131 IPL games wherein he has scored 2756 runs at a decent strike rate of 133.52 and has scored 13 fifties as well.
The Ghaziabad-born 21-year-old Swastik Chikara is a right-hand middle-order batter who is known for hitting some lusty blows. Chikara made waves after a scintillating show in the inaugural season of the UPT20 League in 2023, playing for the Meerut Mavericks. His heroics helped him get an IPL contract with the Delhi Capitals in the following year, i.e., 2024; however, he was benched in the entire season.
In the next IPL season, i.e., in 2025, Chikara got picked for his base price of INR 30 lakh by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Once again, he was unfortunate not to get a game to play but tasted IPL success by lifting the elusive trophy. After going unsold in this year’s auctions, Chikara is a hot commodity, particularly after smashing a whirlwind 195* in a T20 game in the Ayodhya Premier League in just 69 deliveries. Swastik is a big hitter who can smash the ball at will; CSK should keep a close eye on this young prodigy, as he has all the potential to be a vital cog in the future for the 5-time champions.
Abhinav Manohar is another Karnataka batter who has been in the IPL in the past. The 31-year-old right-hander made his IPL debut in the year 2022 with the eventual champions of that season, the Gujarat Titans. He remained with the Titans till 2024 before shifting his base to the 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 3.25 crore and played for them in the 2025 season.
It was shocking to see him go unsold in the IPL 2026 auctions. Despite his explosive form in domestic cricket in the 2024 Maharaja Trophy and the 2026 Vijay Hazare Trophy, which was held after the IPL auctions. Manohar offers flexibility in the batting order, as he can bat anywhere between 3 and 7. With CSK’s batting order already implementing too many changes this season, a batter offering flexibility with his batting order won’t be an irrelevant bet.
Tags: IPL 2026