Ayush Mhatre ruled out of IPL 2026; 5 cricketers who can replace India's U19 World Cup-winning captain at CSK

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt with a severe blow on Tuesday when young batter Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of remained of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a hamstring injury. Mhatre, who led India to the U-19 World Cup trophy in 2026, was CSK's mainstay at no.3 since last season and had delivered for the side in the ongoing season.

The injury occurred during CSK's last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad when he was seen clutching his left hamstring while attempting a second run on April 18. The right-hander was treated by the physio Tommy Simsek a couple of times before he limped out of the field with the help of teammate Ramakrishna Ghosh and Simsek.

Mhatre underwent scans on Monday. The franchise took to social media to announce the loss of Mhatre for the rest of 2026 season. “Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a left hamstring injury sustained while batting during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18. Ayush's injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks,” CSK wrote on their social media platforms.

5 players who can replace Ayush Mhatre at CSK

• Sarfaraz Khan: Playing for CSK for the first time in IPL 2026, Sarfaraz has already impressed the management with his batting and fielding in the ongoing season. A middle-order batter, Sarfaraz bats usually at no.5, and has so far scored 147 runs in six games including a quickfire fifty against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). To add to that, Sarfaraz ability to play spinners would be invalueable at the top. If Sarfaraz bats at no.3, then Dewald Brevis would come in at no.4 with Shivam Dube at no.5 or 6.
• Shaik Rasheed: Another U-19 India star, Shaik Rasheed has been with CSK since last season and has so far warmed the bench in IPL 2026. A technically sound right-hand batter, Rasheed opened the batting with Mhatre in five matches for CSK in IPL 2025. Rasheed, who bats at no.3 for his state side Andhra Pradesh, provides stability and also has the ability to anchor the innings.

• Kartik Sharma: During the IPL 2026 mini-auction, CSK had invested a identical ₹14.2 crore each on two Indian uncapped players. One of them is Rajasthan's Kartik Sharma. Known for his clear striking, the wicketkeeper-batter boasts a strike-rate of over 160 in T20s for his state. With CSK unlikely to tinker with their opening combination - Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad - Kartik would be more then capable of handling the powerplay.
• Andre Siddarth: Another youngster, the 18-year-old Andre Siddarth is widely regarded as the next big star from Tamil Nadu and possess similar qualities like Mhatre of stabilizing and accelerate the innings. Having said that, Siddarth is yet to play a T20 for his state side.
• Anmolpreet Singh: In case CSK wants to bring anyone from outside of the current squad, the five-time champions can look at former Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians batter Anmolpreet Singh. Despite been in prime form in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (with 349 runs at a strike rate of 175.37), the Punjab batter went unsold at the auction. He has already played 81 T20s for Punjab, scoring 1700-plus runs, including a hundred. In IPL, Anmolpreet has played nine games, scoring 139 runs. He can also bowl a few overs if needed.

For CSK, Mhatre had played six games in IPL 2026, scoring 201 runs at a strike rate of 177.87, including two half-centuries.

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