CSK announce replacement for injured Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have named young Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre as the replacement for skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL season due to an elbow fracture.

The five-time IPL champions, currently struggling to find the right combination and sitting at the bottom of the points table, made the decision late on Saturday, April 13.

Mhatre, who went unsold in the auction with a base price of ₹30 lakh, has been asked to join the squad immediately. However, he is expected to link up with the MS Dhoni-led side in a couple of days.

“He will join the squad in Mumbai in a couple of days,” a source close to the CSK management revealed.

The team is currently in Lucknow for their seventh match, scheduled to be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium on Monday night.

So far, CSK have registered just one win and hold two points, having suffered five consecutive losses. They are set to face the Mumbai Indians on April 20 at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mhatre was shortlisted after attending trials in Chennai, where he was tested alongside Urvil Patel from Gujarat and Salman Nizar from Kerala.

Former India U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw, currently out of favour with IPL franchises, was also considered. However, the franchise ultimately opted for Mhatre as Gaikwad’s replacement.

At just 17, Mhatre has already made a mark in Mumbai’s domestic circuit. In nine first-class matches, he has scored 504 runs, including two centuries and a half-century.

In seven List A matches, he has accumulated 458 runs, with two centuries to his name. Having made his first-class debut in October last year, Mhatre is regarded by many in Mumbai’s cricketing circles as a promising future prospect for India.